KUWAIT: The Iraqi football team achieved a difficult victory over its Yemeni counterpart with a score of (1-0) in the beginning of their journey in the Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji Zain 26), which is hosted by the State of Kuwait until January 3. The match, which was held at the Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Stadium in the first round of Group II, came amid an ideal and enthusiastic atmosphere from the fans of the two teams.

The defending champions Iraq imposed its control from the first minute of the meeting, as the first corner kick was recorded in its favor in the second minute, after which the first 10 minutes passed without much danger to the goals of both teams.

The Iraqi team continued to dominate the game until the 20th minute, which witnessed a shot that went past the left post of Yemeni goalkeeper Muhammad Aman, followed by another dangerous attack that ended with a shot by striker Ayman Hussein that went past the right side of the Yemeni goalkeeper.

In contrast to the course of the game, the Yemenis threatened the Iraqi goal in the 26th minute with an organized counterattack after the Iraqi defense left its area unattended, but Yemen’s Nasser Al-Ghawashi’s shot went into the outer net of the goal. Two minutes later, Yemen launched the most dangerous attack of the match with a clear breakaway for its striker Omar Al-Dahi, who shot over the Iraqi goal amid the heartbreak of the Yemeni fans in the 33rd minute. The Yemeni goalkeeper saved a second consecutive shot from afar, preventing Iraq from scoring its first goal in the tournament, and then the Iraqis continued their absolute control until the end of the first half without shaking the nets of either team until the end of the first half.

With the start of the second half, the Iraqi team returned to control the course of the game with a tight and organized defense from the Yemeni side until the 64th minute from Iraqi striker Ayman Hussein to score the lead goal from a strong header that the Yemeni goalkeeper was unable to save, while Yemen’s Nasser Al-Ghawashi did not take advantage of his solitude to shoot a strong kick into the outer net of Iraq’s goal. After that the tempo of the game calmed down and the Iraqi team was able to manage it in its favor calmly until the end to achieve a valuable victory to temporarily lead the group pending the outcome of Saudi and Bahrain meeting scheduled for later.

The Qatar’s national football team drew with the Emirati team 1-1 on Saturday in the first match in Group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Khaleeji Zain 26). Qatari player Akram Afif started scoring with a penalty kick in the 17th minute. The UAE team’s did not surrender and pressed till player Yahya Al-Ghassani scored the equalizer in the 46th minute.

The UAE team dominated the second half of the match and reached the Qatari goal several times but failed to score thanks to the tight Qatari defense. Both teams earned their first point in the tournament, equaling the Kuwaiti and Omani teams who tied with the same score earlier today. The second round of the group will be played on Tuesday when the Qatari team faces its Omani counterpart at Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Stadium, while the Kuwaiti team meets its Emirati counterpart at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. — KUNA