DOHA: Kuwait football national team was defeated yesterday by previous tournament's champions Oman in Group B matches within the 24th Gulf Cup held in Doha, Qatar.
In the first 20 minutes of the first half, the Qatari referee, Khamis Al-Merri used the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and awarded a penalty to the Omani team after a strong tackle by the Kuwaiti defender. Before the end of the first half, at the 32 minute another penalty was given to the Omani side, ending the first half 2-0 to the Omani side.
Omani player Abdulaziz Al-Maqbali scored twice from the penalty area. The Kuwaiti side was able to control the ball and attack more in the second half, and scored their only goal by Yusif Nasser in the 79th minute.
In the second match of Group B, the Saudis will try to overcome their loss from Kuwait during their match against Bahrain, the latter is also eager to win the match's three points. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain played 17 matches against each other at the Gulf Cup. The Saudis won on nine occasions, the Bahrainis won in four, while both teams ended four matches in a draw. – KUNA