Al-Khatib: Fitness and the red card tipped the scales in favor of Al-Ittihad over Al-Kuwait

Kuwait FC head coach Syrian Firas Al-Khatib affirmed that fitness was the deciding factor in favor of UAE’s Al-Wahda against his team. In a post-match statement, he noted that the red card shown to Mohammed Marhun in the 60th minute had a direct impact on the flow of the game.

Kuwait had lost 2-3 to hosts Al-Wahda in the match played yesterday evening at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, as part of the opening round of Group A in the AFC Champions League Two.

Al-Khatib emphasized that Al-Wahda’s superiority became more pronounced after Kuwait was reduced to ten men. He explained that the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Saud Al-Houshan, who defended his goal and saved several of Al-Wahda’s attacking attempts, kept Kuwait’s hopes alive until the final minutes of the match.

He praised the level delivered by Kuwait’s players in what he described as an entertaining match featuring five goals between the two sides. He also highlighted that Al-Wahda’s Syrian striker, Omar Kharbin, is a big player; although he did not score in this encounter, he handled the ball remarkably well and had a strong presence throughout the game.

The Kuwait coach concluded his statement by affirming the team’s ability to recover from the defeat suffered against their hosts in the upcoming rounds of the tournament.