"The Blues" Bid Farewell to Gulf Cup 27 with a Thriller Against Iraq
The Kuwaiti senior national football team suffered an undeserved defeat against Iraq, 3-2, in the match held at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, during the second round of Group A in the 27th Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia.
With this result, the Blue Team lost its chance of advancing to the semi-finals after remaining winless, making its final match against Oman a formality, while Iraq’s chances of reaching the semi-finals doubled.
The Portuguese coach of the Blue Team, Helio Sousa, fielded a lineup featuring Saud Al-Houshan in goal; Mohsen Fallah, Abdulaziz Naji, Yousif Al-Haqan, and Rashid Al-Dosari in defense; Khaled Al-Murshed, Adabi Shahab, and Nasser Al-Fahad in midfield; and Mohammed Daham, Yousif Nasser, and Mubarak Al-Funayyan up front.
Sousa made four changes to the lineup used in the match against Saudi Arabia, keeping Moath Al-Zafiri, Jasem Al-Mutairi, Shuaib Al-Khalidi, and Eid Al-Rashidi on the bench, and bringing on Mohsen Fallah, Adabi Shahab, Mubarak Al-Funayyan, and Yousif Nasser.
Until the 10th minute, play was even between the two teams, with both sides attempting to push forward, but neither managed to establish clear dominance over the flow of the game.
In the 12th minute, Mohammed Daham delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area, but Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil timed his intervention perfectly and brilliantly saved his goal.
Mohammed Qasim fired a powerful shot in the 25th minute, but Saud Al-Houshan shone brightly, making a brilliant save.
During this period, the Blue Team relied on counter-attacks, exploiting the speed of Mohammed Daham and his continuous movements between the right and left flanks, attempting to exploit spaces behind the Iraqi defenders.
As the first half neared its end, both teams exchanged attempts. Iraq continued to search for spaces in the Kuwaiti defense, while Kuwait persisted with rapid transitions from defense to attack.
Al-Houshan prevented a certain goal by saving a shot from Amir Al-Amari, while Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil responded by saving a shot from Abdulaziz Naji from the left side, deflecting the ball for a corner kick, thus denying the Blue Team a certain goal at the end of the half, which concluded goalless.
In the 52nd minute, Iraq managed to take the lead through Zaidan Iqbal, after the Mesopotamian Lions’ players exchanged passes before the ball reached Ali Jasim, who passed it to Iqbal, who then fired it into the net.
Mohsen Fallah suffered a hamstring strain in the 57th minute, before Portuguese coach Helio Sousa made three simultaneous substitutions in the 60th minute, bringing on Yousif Majed, Ahmed Al-Zafiri, and Moath Al-Zafiri in place of Adabi Shahab, Mubarak Al-Funayyan, and Mohsen Fallah.
The Iraqi goalkeeper nearly cost his team dearly after a misplaced pass, but the Kuwaiti players failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Yousif Nasser responded with a dangerous shot in the 64th minute, after which play became confined to the midfield.
In the 73rd minute, Moroccan referee Jalal Jaid awarded a penalty to Kuwait after Yousif Majed was fouled inside the penalty area, a decision later confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Yousif Nasser stepped up to take the spot-kick and successfully placed the ball to the goalkeeper’s left, equalizing for Kuwait.
Kuwait renewed its efforts to find an equalizer in the final minutes, which they finally achieved through the outstanding Yousif Nasser, who converted Mohammed Daham’s cross into the net in the 90th minute. Referee Jalal waited for confirmation from the VAR before awarding the goal, which confirmed that Yousif Nasser was not offside, scoring his second personal goal of the match.
Basel Marma saved his goal from a certain strike by parrying Youssef Nasser’s header, deflecting the ball away. Abdulwahab Al-Awadi then halted the attack, prompting Jalal to brandish a second yellow card, followed by a red, leaving the Blues to finish the match with only ten men.
