Dubai: Waleed Al Hayam has revealed his burning desire to help Bahrain progress beyond the AFC Asian Cup group stage for the first time in 15 years.
The Muharraq defender was just 12-years-old when Al Ahmar reached the last four at China 2004 (pictured below) - their best ever finish at the Continental Finals - but an impressive opening night draw with host nation United Arab Emirates has given them cause for optimism in this year's edition.
Miroslav Soukup's side can take a significant step towards the Round of 16 with three points against a Thailand side still reeling from a 4-1 defeat to India, and Al Hayam called on his teammates to seize their opportunity.
"I think it’s a good time to qualify for the next round," he said.
"We have a new team, we have a young team, they are thirsty to make something in this tournament. We have only three or four players above 30 so it’s a good time to qualify now."
"(2004) is a really good memory, it was a golden age for Bahraini football, and we hope that we make something similar to what they did."
Bahrain were on the verge of pulling off a major shock in the tournament opener, taking a 78th-minute lead through Mohamed Al Romaihi before a last gasp equaliser from UAE's Ahmed Khalil earned the hosts a share of the spoils.
When asked if that performance had given the Bahrainis belief, Al Hayam revealed it had never been in short supply within the camp.
"We had confidence from before that game, that’s why we got the good result," declared the 47-cap central defender.
"We have been together two years, so that’s why we are playing as a good group."
Thailand fell significantly short of expectations on Matchday One, and relieved head coach Milovan Rajevac of his duties immediately after it, to round a forgettable month which included AFF Championsip elimination at the hands of Malaysia and a friendly defeat to Oman.
Bahrain may now be considered slight favourites to beat the Southeast Asians, but having been a part of squads that suffered group stage elimination at the 2011 and 2015 AFC Asian Cups, Al Hayam is taking nothing for granted.
"We have to play very well in this game, we have to be better than Thailand to get a good result," he said.
"The strength of Bahrain is that we are playing as one man, so that’s a good point for us."
Source: the-afc.com