Bahrain took another giant step towards gaining their first-ever World Cup berth by holding Uzbekistan to a goalless draw in an exhilarating second-leg qualifying clash on Wednesday night in Manama.

Bahrain held Uzbekistan 1-1 in the replayed first-leg at Tashkent on Saturday and will go through on the away-goal rule.

The tiny Gulf nation will now take on the fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF zone, Trinidad and Tobago for a possible fifth Asian spot in the 2006 World Cup to be hosted by Germany.

Bahrain coach Luka Peruzovic wept openly after the match.

"I just can't believe it," he said, as celebrations broke out all around the packed stadium. "It's simply fantastic. They played better in the second half, and I was always afraid we may throw everything away. But the boys hung on. They looked very determined while defending, and I hope this performance will boost us in our future matches."

He also raved about the fans.

"The crowd was fantastic, and we could not have achieved what we have without their support and encouragement," he said. "We played attacking football, and I think this should rate among one of the best displays put up by Bahrain. We are now ready for any team in the world."

Uzbekistan coach Bobby Houghton said the goal Bahrain scored in the first-leg had proved decisive.

"We played well in the second-half and always looked capable of scoring, but Bahrain defended very well," he added.

"Overall, Bahrain played better than us. They attacked but did not leave any open space for us to capitalize and score. Full credit to Bahrain and congratulations to them for going into the final playoff."

Bahrain were certainly the dominant team as they put up an entertaining and enterprising display right from the start in front of a packed home crowd. As expected by Uzbek coach Bobby Houghton, Bahrain attacked right from the beginning, but much to the English coach's chagrin, without leaving any open spaces.

Bahrain played a free-passing and fast-moving game with the forwards in the right places at the right time, making the most of even the slightest of opportunities.

Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are the other four Asian countries who have already booked World Cup berths.

Source: China Daily