Kuwait loses to English club Portsmouth in a friendly match
Kuwait Club’s first team suffered a 2-0 defeat to English side Portsmouth in their match yesterday, Wednesday, as part of the White Club’s training camp in London, which is being held in preparation for the upcoming season.
Kuwait’s coach, Portuguese manager Alexandre Santos, fielded two different lineups across the two halves. In the first half, he started with Saud Al-Houshan in goal; a defense line featuring Sami Al-Sana, Hassan Hamdan, Mehdi Barhoum, and Ali Hussein; a midfield trio of Rida Hani, Mohammed Marhoon, and Amr Abdel Fattah; and an attack comprising Ibrahim Kamel, Vinicius, and Youssef Nasser.
For the second half, Santos made several changes, deploying Ahmed Al-Rashidi in goal; a defense of Mohsen Fallah, Zoula, Mehdi Barhoum, and Mohammed Faraih; a midfield of Abdullah Al-Qarazi, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, and Faisal Zayed; and an attack featuring Hamad Al-Sanousi, Mohammed Daham, and Mubarak Al-Muhannadi.
Despite the loss, Kuwait delivered a solid performance in a match that served as a highly valuable experience for the players, particularly given that Portsmouth competes in the English Premier League.
Meanwhile, Al-Salmiya played their second friendly match in Turkey, facing Qatari side Al-Marikh at 5:00 PM today, Thursday. In their first friendly, Al-Salmiya lost 3-0 to Egyptian club Zamalek.
In related news, Al-Qadsiya resumed their training sessions today at their Turkish camp, following a rest day granted to players by coach Mohammed Ibrahim after their victory over Saudi side Al-Arabi in a friendly match held on Tuesday evening. The Yellow Team’s goals were scored by Hamza Khaba, Badr Jamal, and Abdullah Al-Awadi.
Similarly, Al-Kuwait will face Saudi club Al-Raed in their second friendly match of their Turkish camp today, under the guidance of Croatian coach Dragan Tadić. The team had drawn 2-2 in their opening match against Qatari side Al-Wakrah.
Tadić is focusing on the physical and technical preparation of his players, prioritizing performance and tactical execution over match results.
As for Al-Shabab, they begin their friendly matches in their training camp in Cairo, Egypt, today against Al-Obour Club, under the leadership of Brazilian coach Wagner, who joined the delegation last Sunday. The match holds special significance for the new coach, as he seeks to assess the players’ capabilities and current form. It also provides an opportunity for the five Brazilian professionals recently signed by the club to officially begin their tenure with the team.
For his part, the Al-Arabi Club’s first team delegation is preparing to depart Turkey tomorrow, Friday, heading to Kolkata, India, in preparation for their match against East Bengal on the 12th. This fixture serves as a playoff qualifier for the main round of the AFC Cup 2.
The technical staff, led by Croatian coach Goran Sablic, held a tactical meeting with the players yesterday, reviewing the key positives and negatives from their last friendly against Egyptian club Pyramids, which ended in a 3-1 loss for Al-Arabi. The team will conclude their training in Turkey today with a light session incorporating specific technical and tactical drills.
