Kuwait loses to Iraq and loses its chances of qualifying at Gulf Cup 27

Jeddah, 26 Sep (KUNA) -- The Kuwaiti national football team lost 2-3 to Iraq on Saturday in the second round of Group A matches at the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji 27) tournament being held in Jeddah, eliminating the "Blue" from contention for a place in the semi-finals.

The first half ended goalless before Iraq took the lead through Zaidan Iqbal in the 52nd minute. Kuwait equalized via a penalty kick by Yousef Nasser in the 75th minute, but Saif Rashid scored Iraq's second goal in the 83rd minute.

In the 90th minute, Yousef Nasser scored again to level the match for the "Blue," but Iraq snatched the winning goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time through Karrar Nabil, securing a 3-2 victory.

With this defeat, Kuwait remains without points following their first-round loss to Saudi Arabia, 1-0. Iraq, meanwhile, has four points after drawing 1-1 with Oman in the opening match.

The "Blue" will conclude their group stage campaign against Oman on Tuesday, while Iraq will face Saudi Arabia in the final, third round of group matches.

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