Second loss for "Youth Blue"

Kuwait suffered a 3-1 defeat to Yemen in the second round of Group 7 of the qualifiers for the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup, hosted in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

With this loss, the hopes of the “Blue Youth” team for qualification have dimmed, marking their second defeat in the group stage, following their initial 4-0 loss to Japan.

Kuwait is scheduled to face Cambodia in their third and final group match next Sunday.

Yemen started the match pressing from the first minute, dominating possession and creating several scoring opportunities, but Kuwaiti goalkeeper Rakan Al-Saeed managed to deny many dangerous shots.

In the 24th minute, Yemeni striker Ahmed Saleh scored the opening goal.

Kuwaiti players attempted to organize their attack but struggled to break through Yemen’s solid defensive structure, with the only notable exception being a powerful shot from Kuwaiti player Abdullah Al-Qarzaei (36), which the Yemeni goalkeeper barely kept out.

Kuwait continued to press in the second half until the 67th minute, when striker Musfer Al-Adwani equalized. However, the celebration was short-lived, as Ahmed Saleh scored his second goal of the match and his country’s second shortly after.

His teammate Zaid Jahad sealed the victory in the 85th minute with a powerful close-range shot, securing Yemen’s first three points in the qualifying campaign.