MUSCAT, JAN 10
Late substitute Ahmad al Dhefri bended it to perfection in the final moments of the match as Kuwait revived their hopes with a 1-0 win against the United Arab Emirates in the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in Iraq on Tuesday.
Al Dhefri’s left-footed free kick from just outside the penalty box curved into the bottom left corner of UAE net.
Al Dhefri had came in the 86th minute in place of Mubarak al Faneni in a late move by Kuwait coach Pereira Bento.
Kuwait also revived their chances of a semifinal spot with the win in their second Group B match at the Al Minaa Olympic Stadium. Kuwait had lost to Qatar 2-0 in their first match.
Kuwait have three points from two matches and are currently third on the table.
Kuwait goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor saved a shot from UAE’s Khalifa al Hammadi to keep his slate clean in the dying minute of the match.
UAE’s Majid Rashid could not manage a touch to a cross by Sebastian Tagliabue, which went across the Kuwait goalmouth in the 57th minute.
In the 63rd minute, Kuwait’s Faisal al Harbi’s shot went high above the bar after a pass by Eid al Rashedi.
Tagliabue also shot high after receiving a pass from Caio Canedo from the right side of the box in the 76th minute.
Bader Tareq replaced Mahdi Dashti for Kuwait in the 72nd minute.
In the 66th minute, a Kuwait move ended with Mubarak al Faneni caught offside after a through ball from Eid al Rashedi.
UAE made a change in the 62nd minute with Ali Saleh coming in for Majid Rashid.
For Kuwait, Hamad al Qallaf replaced Meshari Ghanam.
In the 60th minute, UAE’s Abdalla Ramadan’s shot from outside the box missed to the right after an assist from Majid Rashid.
Kuwait came close in the 54th minute as Shabaib al Khaldi’s left-footed shot from the centre of the box missed to the right.
Kuwait came near the UAE box earlier but could not take a shot.
In the 47th minute, Tagliabue got a yellow card for a foul on Kuwait’s Sultan al Enezi.
In the injury time of first-half, UAE’s Harib Abdalla Suhail’s shot from outside the box was well guarded by the Kuwait defence.
UAE’s Khalifa al Hammadi won a free kick at the Kuwait half after a foul by Kuwait’s Mubarak al Faneni.
A minute earlier, UAE came close with Majid Rashid making a header from the centre of the box but was saved by Kuwait keeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor.
In the 43rd minute, Kuwait’s Shabaib al Khaldi connected a fine cross from Mubarak al Faneni with a good header from close range but was saved by UAE keeper Khalid Eisa.
In the 24th minute, Kuwait’s Eid al Rashedi’s strong shot missed narrowly to the right after a pass from Shabaib Al Khaldi from the right side of the box.
UAE’s Abdalla Ramadan was booked earlier for a rough tackle on Kuwait’s Mubarak al Faneni in the 22nd minute.
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