Australia faced Bahrain at the Robina Stadium, Australia, in the first match of the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday, September 5.
The Socceroos came into the game on the back of an excellent second-round performance where they had a perfect record in their group. They won all six of their games against Palestine, Lebanon, and Bangladesh.
Bahrain, meanwhile, finished second in their group in the second round of the quarter-finals, winning three, drawing two and losing one of their six matches. They finished below United Arab Emirates and above Yemen and Nepal.
However, their respective positions made little difference on Thursday as Bahrain won the game 1-0. Australia’s striker Kusini Yengi was shown a red card in the 77th minute when the game was still goalless. The Dilmun’s Warriors then found the winner in the 89th minute as Harry Souttar put the ball in the back of his own net.
Australia will next take on Indonesia away on September 10 while Bahrain will host Japan on the same day. Despite winning their first game, Bahrain sits second in the group behind Japan, who beat China 7-0.
So, let’s take a look at the Australia vs Bahrain player ratings, starting with Australia:
Australia Player Ratings vs Bahrain:
Goalkeeper:
Mathew Ryan – 6.5
The Australian skipper made one save and completed 14/15 passes.
Defenders:
Alessandro Circati – 7
The right-back made one clearance, and three tackles, won 11/18 duels, and completed 48/64 passes. He even had two shots on goal.
Harry Souttar – 6.5
Souttar had a colossal game but it was all undone by an unfortunate own goal. He made seven clearances and one interception. He won 7/11 ground duels, completed 96/108 passes, and also attempted two shots.
Kye Rowles – 7
Rowles made one tackle and four clearances. He won 4/7 duels, completed 93/103 passes, and completed 1/2 dribble attempts.
Aziz Behich – 6
Behich won 3/8 duels, completed 42/51 passes, and completed 1/4 dribble attempts.
Midfielders:
Jackson Irvine – 7
Irvine completed 34/41 passes, attempted one shot, won 7/12 duels, and made one interception.
Aiden O’Neill – 6.5
The Australian midfielder completed 37/40 passes, won 5/9 duels, and made three tackles.
Martin Boyle – 6.5
He played for 58 minutes and completed just 5/13 passes. Boyle attempted one shot, completed 1/2 dribble attempts, and won 4/9 duels.
Conor Metcalfe – 6.5
Metcalfe completed 19/25 passes, delivered 0/2 accurate crosses, won 2/5 duels, and attempted no shots.
Attackers:
Craig Goodwin – 7.5
The left winger completed 15/17 passes, made three key passes, created two big chances, completed 1/2 dribble attempts, and won 4/7 duels.
Kusin Yengi – 6
Before his sending-off in the 77th minute, Yengi completed 2/2 dribble attempts, completed 7/8 passes, and won 5/12 duels. Ultimately though, his sending off cost his team.
Substitutes:
Nestory Irankunda – 6.5
Irankunda played for 32 minutes and completed 4/10 passes, won 2/6 duels, and had two attempts.
Mitchell Duke – 6
Duke came on in the 72nd minute, completed 6/8 passes, and won 2/2 duels but missed one big chance.
Awer Mabil – 7.5
He came on in the 82nd minute and completed 3/4 passes, made three key passes, created one big chance, and won 3/4 duels.
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Bahrain Player Ratings vs Australia
Goalkeeper
Ebrahim Lutfalla – 6.5
Lutfalla made four saves and one high claim but completed just 7/34 passes.
Defenders:
Vincent Emmanuel – 7
Emmanuel made three clearances, one block, four tackles, and two interceptions. He completed 11/18 passes and won 6/9 duels.
Sayed Baqer – 6.5
Baqer made one clearance and one interception. He won 1/2 duels and completed 10/17 passes.
Amine Benaddi – 7
He made a whopping 11 clearances and four interceptions along with one block. He won 2/6 duels and completed 11/15 passes.
Abdulla Al-Khalasi – 7
He made three tackles, three interceptions and six clearances. He completed 11/16 passes and won 5/12 duels.
Midfielders:
Ali Madan – 6.5
Madan completed 10/12 passes and won 3/8 duels.
Ali Haram – 7
He completed 19/30 passes, attempted one shot, won 7/15 duels, and made two clearances.
Abbas Al-Asfoor – 7
He completed 11/15 passes, won 9/12 duels, and made three clearances and four tackles.
Mohamed Jasim Marhoon – 6
Marhoon completed 6/10 passes, completed 1/3 dribble attempts, won 5/17 duels and was dribbled past three times.
Attackers:
Kamil Al-Aswad – 6.5
The Bahrain skipper completed 19/25 passes, making one key pass. He won 3/9 duels, completed 0/1 dribble attempts and lost possession 17 times.
Mahdi Abduljabbar – 6.5
He completed 2/3 dribble attempts, completed 8/13 passes, won 8/12 duels, and also made one tackle.
Substitutes:
Hussein Abdulkarim – 6
In 23 minutes, he just had one touch and completed 0/1 passes, won 0/3 duels, and was even caught offside once.
Ibrahim Al-Khatal – 6.5
He came on in the 67th minute and completed 2/2 passes, won 1/4 duels, and made one tackle.
Mahdi Al-Humaidan – 6.5
He came on in the 84th minute and completed 2/4 passes, won 1/3 duels, and made one interception.
Waleed Al-Hayam – N/A
Came on too late (88’) to warrant a rating.
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