Bahrain beats China to reach Asian Cup knockout stages

Manama, Bahrain (CNN)Bahrain beat China 2-1 to reach the knockout stages of the Asian Cup on Thursday.

Goals from Mohamed Al Romaihi and Abdulla Yusuf Helal secured victory for Bahrain, who finished second in Group C behind South Korea. China, meanwhile, finished bottom of the group and were eliminated from the tournament.

Bahrain took the lead in the 45th minute when Al Romaihi headed home a cross from the right. China equalized in the 57th minute through Wu Lei, but Bahrain regained the lead just two minutes later when Helal slotted home from close range.

China pushed for an equalizer in the closing stages, but Bahrain held on to secure their place in the last 16. They will now face Japan in the knockout stages.

The victory was a major upset for Bahrain, who are ranked 111th in the world by FIFA, while China are ranked 75th.

It was also a disappointing result for China, who were hoping to make a deep run in the tournament. They had reached the quarter-finals in the previous two editions of the Asian Cup.

The Asian Cup is the second-biggest football tournament in the world, after the World Cup. It is held every four years and is contested by the 24 best teams in Asia.