Kuwait's Olympic team draws with Vietnam at the Asian Games

Yahya Hamid

The national Olympic football team (under-23) drew 1-1 with Vietnam in the opening match of Group C at the 20th Asian Games, “Aichi-Nagoya 2026,” held at Minato Stadium in Japan. In the same group, Uzbekistan defeated the Philippines 5-1.

The “Blue” and Vietnam each earned one point, while Uzbekistan topped the standings with three points, and the Philippines remained at the bottom in fourth place without any points.

Returning to the match between the Olympic team and Vietnam, the “Blue” players showed great resilience during the first quarter of the game, which saw intense Vietnamese pressure. However, the defensive quartet of Mohammed Al-Sharifi, Abdullah Faris, Saleh Al-Mutahib, and Jassim Al-Anzi, backed by the outstanding goalkeeper Abdul-Razzaq Shahab, were present and thwarted the Vietnamese attempts.

Thereafter, the Vietnamese threat diminished relatively, and the Olympic team created several opportunities to threaten the opponent’s goal. Muntaser Abdul-Salam fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, which Vietnamese goalkeeper Cao Van Binh saved with difficulty for a corner kick (23).

The “Blue” striker, Talal Al-Qaisi, made an extraordinary effort after receiving the ball near the halfway line, dribbling past Vietnamese defenders, and firing a powerful shot that was saved by Vietnamese goalkeeper Cao Van Binh (41), ending the first half scoreless, just as it began.

In the second half, the Olympic team’s Talal Al-Qaisi again attempted to score with a powerful shot, which was saved by Vietnamese goalkeeper Cao Van Binh (48).

The Olympic team took the lead with a goal scored by Omar Al-Mutar, who headed home a well-placed set piece delivered by substitute Ahmed Boudi (79).

Vietnam equalized from a corner kick, with Nguyen Ngoc heading the ball into the “Blue” net (81), ending the match in a 1-1 draw.