Soccer: Bahrain coach plays it cool under pressure

Upbeat Bahrain coach Milan Macala quickly upstaged his New Zealand counterpart Ricki Herbert with a string of one-liners at yesterday's double-act media conference but in the end the message was much the same.

"Sure, we are feeling the pressure, but that is nothing new," said Czech Macala before tonight's winner-take-all game at Westpac Stadium.

"We have been under pressure since 2007. Every game has been very important."

Asked about any weaknesses he had seen in the New Zealand team, Macala diplomatically said he respected the team. Pressed further on what worried him about the All Whites, Macala said: "Everything."

Addressing the issue of the number of games the teams had played in getting to this point, Macala said having to play 15 games compared with New Zealand's six was no advantage.

And he shrugs off any perceived advantage of getting so close when the Bahrainis fell at the last hurdle four years ago, dipping out to Trinidad and Tobago in a similar two-leg play-off.

He prefers to talk about the present.

"In the first half in Manama we played very carefully," said Macala. "In the second half we were the better team."

But they could not put the All Whites away. "Finishing 0-0 was not a bad result."

And he was not reading too much into last week's 5-1 win over Togo in their last hit-out before the big show.

"You can't say it was a real game as we played without our professional players."

It would be unfair to say there was an air of arrogance in the Bahrain camp, but there is, no doubt, an utter belief they can win. But, impishly, he asked for a helping hand.

"Because you played in [the World Cup] Spain in 1982, I hope you give us a turn this time."

Fat chance. There will be no charity tonight. The stakes are too big even if the two countries this week negotiated a $3 billion bilateral trade agreement which will be formally signed early next year.

For 90 minutes tonight nothing other than a game of football matters.