Thrilling draws mark Gulf Cup start in Kuwait

Muscat: The 26th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji Zain 26) kicked off with two captivating draws at Kuwait City stadiums on Saturday night. Earlier, a grand opening ceremony at Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium commenced the Gulf soccer carnival. The event was opened by Kuwait Emir Shaikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber al Sabah in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a special guest and Fifa President Gianni Infantino. HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, attended the event alongside Kuwait Crown Prince Shaikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad al Sabah and other senior officials from Kuwait and the region. Two-time champions Oman took on hosts and 10-time champions Kuwait in the opening match. Oman faced a different opponent compared to their last Asian World Cup qualifier match in Muscat, where the home team won 4-0. Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber selected a strong Omani line-up with a focus on youth and new faces. Kuwait, eager to recover from their last-match drubbing against Oman, pressed from the start and took the lead when Youssef Nasser’s powerful header left no chance for Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini. Oman, who showed better organisation in their moves, equalised with striker Issam al Subhi finding the net in the 42nd minute. Jaber attributed the result to “opening match blues” against the home team, saying the team lacked focus in the first half before regrouping towards the end of the period. In the second half, the coach said the players were unable to capitalise on the good opportunities that came their way. Jaber expressed confidence in a better performance against higher-ranked opponents Qatar in their next match. However, it will be a tough challenge for the Red Warriors as the Qatari side demonstrated their intent with a 1-1 draw against an in-form UAE team in the second match of Group A. Qatar, also keen to move past memories of their recent 5-0 loss to the UAE in the World Cup Qualifiers, started strong when captain Akram Afif converted a penalty in the 17th minute. Afif and his teammates displayed a spirited performance against the UAE, who are in top form with some quality foreign-origin players joining their ranks. The UAE’s consistent efforts paid off as they equalised just before the break, with Yahya al Ghassani scoring in the 46th minute. UAE’s Portuguese coach Paulo Bento acknowledged that the Qatari side showed a different level from their last two matches in the World Cup Qualifiers. In fact, Qatar’s young players succeeded in neutralising UAE’s star Brazil-origin player Fabio Lima and his teammates, earning a crucial point. After the first-round matches of Group A, all the teams are level on points with the same goal difference. The second-round matches on Tuesday will be crucial in deciding the semifinal contenders from the group.