This was the result Gulf Cup host nation Saudi Arabia and their embattled coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro required.
Memories of a disappointing opening night draw with Qatar were temporarily forgotten as Nasser Al Shamrani and a pair of own goals from Bahrain led to a 3-0 Group A win, putting the Green Falcons within touching distance of the semi-finals.
Spaniard Lopez Caro has been harangued and questioned in recent days, this football-mad country demanding only the best from their national team.
“We were the better side and I like to congratulate all the players on their physical exertion,” Lopez Caro said after the win at the King Fahd International Stadium.
“I work for 25 years in the field and I’m not new to the job. I just want to make it clear that I never give up.
“For Qatar, we were trying to play in a vertical way, but today we played short balls. We danced to the right song.
“In the end, you must know that I do not hear criticism and focus only on my work.”
But sterner tests await if a first Khaleej title in 11 years is to be claimed on home soil in 11 days’ time.
AFC Player of the Year 2014 nominee Al Shamrani was all flicks and imagination, the striker’s ingenuity inspiring attacking midfielder Salem Al Dawsari.
They were at the heart of the opener. Al Shamrani’s incisive pass played Al Dawsari in, the latter being forced out wide by the onrushing ‘keeper before the ball eventually fell at the deadly striker’s feet to smash into an open goal.
A helping hand was then twice offered in a second half by the opponents. Unsighted defender Abdulla Al Hazaa first deflected in a cross from right-back Saeed Al Mowallad, before a panicked Mohamed Husain fired in another centre.
A victory obtained with the minimum of fuss was then treated as such by the majority of supporters. The message was clear; this was just the beginning.
Elsewhere, minnows Yemen continue to be the surprise package at the Gulf Cup, their second-successive draw coming on Sunday against Qatar.
A first-ever Gulf Cup win remains elusive since 2003, though two points from two games is their best-ever haul.
