Striker Ismaeel Abdulatif scored four goals as Bahrain swept past India 5-2 at the Al Sadd Stadium on Friday to end the Bhangra Boys's interest in the Asian Cup. Bahrain now need to beat Australia in their final Group C match to qualify for the quarter-finals. Australia and South Korea lead the group on four points after their 1-1 draw at the Al Gharafa Stadium, with Bahrain third on three and India without a point.
The only sour note for Salman Shareedah's side was the needless red card for goal-scoring midfielder Faouzi Aaish who was cautioned twice in quick succession, the second for diving in the penalty area after 62 minutes. "He is an important player and we will miss him for the next match," unused substitute Mahmood Al Ajmi said of team mate Aaish who will be suspended against Australia on Tuesday. Despite the defeat India, 144th in FIFA's world rankings, the lowest of the 16 sides here, will take a lot of heart from their display in an entertaining game full of defensive mistakes.
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