Bahrain wins at Indonesia in WCup qualifying

Published Sep. 6, 2011 4:22 p.m. ET

foxsports

Bahrain battled low-flying fireworks and a smoke-filled stadium to win 2-0 against Indonesia in their second match of third-round qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

The game was abruptly suspended in the 76th minute when Bahrain's players left the field in protest at the sporadic fireworks and red flares set off throughout most of the game. After a 15-minute break, play resumed.

Teenage midfielder Sayed Dhiya Saeed put Bahrian ahead seconds before halftime and Ismaeel Abdullatif scored the second goal in a counterattack in the 71st, prompting a fresh barrage of fireworks from angry home fans.

An on-field appeal from Tri Goestoro, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Soccer Association, helped calm the crowd.

Play resumed after the smoke cleared the 88,000-capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. By then the stadium was nearly a quarter empty.

''I have to apologize for the behavior,'' Indonesia's coach Wilhelmus Rijsbergen. ''Even if we are losing we should behave and of course accept the situation.''

The embarrassment of the episode was compounded by the presence of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who attended the game with his family.

An otherwise uneventful first half ended with a goal from Bahrain's Sayed Dhiya Saeed from the right side of the penalty box in the 45th minute, silencing the home crowd seconds before halftime.

Striker Boaz Solossa came closest to scoring for Indonesia in his much-anticipated return from a month-long hiatus.

Having been held to a scoreless home draw by Qatar in its opening game, Bahrain has four points from two games in Group E and Peter Taylor's side looks well-placed to back up the strong performance of the previous World Cup qualifying campaign when the small Gulf nation got all the way to the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand for the last spot in the South Africa 2010 field.

Indonesia has no points and will be desperate for points when it faces Qatar on Oct. 11, when Bahrain will play group favorite Iran.