Kuwait's "Youth of Football" thrash Cambodia 5-0

Kuwait’s U-20 national football team defeated host Cambodia 5-0 yesterday in the third and final matchday of Group 7 of the Asian Cup qualifiers, which will be held in China next year.

In a preceding match, Japan secured top spot in the group by beating Yemen 4-0, earning a perfect score of nine points and guaranteeing direct qualification.

Kuwait moved to three points, finishing second, level on points with Yemen and Cambodia. Qualification scenarios remain pending until all qualifying matches are completed.

The “Young Blues” dominated the first half against Cambodia, controlling possession and being the more proactive side in creating chances.

Yousef Al-Lanqawi opened the scoring for Kuwait with a well-timed finish from a loose ball in the 12th minute. Omar Al-Azmi doubled the lead in the 26th minute, and the third goal was the most spectacular, following an excellent effort from Abdullah Al-Qarzaei, who then set up Musafir Al-Adwani to slot the ball past Cambodia’s goalkeeper Samnang Sambath in the 40th minute, ending the first half with Kuwait leading 3-0.

In the second half, Abdullah Al-Qarzaei scored Kuwait’s fourth goal from a correctly awarded penalty in the 55th minute, given by Iraqi referee Youssef Saeed. Musafir Al-Adwani added the fifth goal in the 64th minute, finishing off a precise pass from Yousef Al-Lanqawi.

Kuwait’s goalkeeper Rakan Al-Saeid, supported by a defensive line comprising Sulaiman Jamal, Ayed Majed, Hamad Al-Saeed, and Bilal Mubarak, thwarted Cambodia’s attempts to reduce the deficit for the remainder of the match, allowing Kuwait to secure a clean-sheet victory.