A tale of two headers, I told myself. From joy to despair in two minutes. The ways of football are many. The final minutes of a match hide beside them innumerable surprises, twists and turns. They may or may not spring out all of a sudden but when they do, they bring cheer and misery along with it.

What happened at the King Fahd International Stadium on Wednesday night was etched clearly on Jose Peseiro's face. Minutes ago, the Saudi national team's coach was in seventh heaven as Hamad al-Montashari's goal in the dying minutes of extra time took the Saudis one step closer to South Africa. And then came the stunner. With the Saudis still in the celebratory mood, they failed to defend a Bahraini corner and unmarked Ismail Abdul Latif headed in the equaliser to silence the home crowd and leave the Saudi players stunned and paralysed.

If complacency played a part in the final goal, Bahrain’s first goal was a classic example of poor defending. Abdullah Omar’s ball into the area was allowed through by three defenders and Jaycee John was left waiting at the far post to flick it in. A match that could have been a well-fought victory for the Falcons, ended in utter disappointment.
As for the Bahrainis it was the perfect reward for their never-give-up attitude which has seen them through many famous battles with more illustrious sides. They can look forward to repeating this performance against New Zealand in the Asia-Oceania play-off, which decides who gets the ticket to South Africa.