Defeat to Bahrain, with Oman to come

The senior national basketball team let slip the chance to go in ahead at half-time against Bahrain, leading by two at 43-41, before losing unexpectedly by six at the finish, 79-73, in the opening match of the second phase of Gulf qualifying for the Asia Cup, being played at Shabab Al Ahli's Al Mamzar hall in Dubai until 30 June.

The opening round also saw Saudi Arabia begin their campaign with a deserved 16-point win over Oman, 76-60.

The defeat cost the national team the top place in the Gulf qualifying standings that it had held since February, at the end of the first phase played in Bahrain. The team drops to third on six points, one behind Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, whose wins carried them to a shared lead, while Oman remain on four points and bottom.

The Gulf qualifying format, run under the supervision of the Asian federation with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman taking part, sends the top two to the 2021 Asia Cup.

In detail: the national team knew how to turn a six-point deficit into a one-point lead at the end of the first period, 27-26, before closing the first half a basket ahead at 43-41 after taking the second period 16-15.

At the start of the second half the Bahrainis regained the initiative and secured a deserved win by taking the third and fourth periods 21-20 and 17-10.

Bahrain's standouts were Badr Malabes with 19 points, Ahmed Ismail with 13, Mohammed Kayed with 12 and Hussein Al Hawash with nine, while the match's leading scorer was the national team's playmaker Saleh Sultan with 24 points.

In the second match Saudi Arabia took a deserved 76-60 win over Oman, tightening their grip on the first three periods 20-19, 20-5 and 21-17, with Oman managing only a modest advantage in the fourth and final period, 19-15.

Saudi Arabia owed the win to the form of their centre Mohammed Al Suwailem with 19 points, while Oman's wing Muawiya Al Harthy taking the match's leading scorer award with 21 points was not enough, his team-mates managing only 39 points between them — not sufficient for Oman to turn the match around.

The national team meet Oman at 7.45pm tomorrow, Friday, in the second round of the second phase of Gulf qualifying for the Asia Cup, with Al Abyad looking to return to winning ways and repeat their win over Oman after the 92-52 victory in Manama last February.

Before that, at 5.30pm, Saudi Arabia meet Bahrain in a match whose winner will secure qualification for the Asia Cup regardless of their final Dubai match on Saturday.