By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: The final score of 2-1 in favor of Qadisiya football club does not reflect how tough and complicated the match was. The match of the third round between Qadisiya and Sahel saw Sahel's Talison score first in the 17th minute and the match continued with the same score though Qadisiya had the most possession until the 45th minute when the referee awarded Qadisiya a penalty kick which the veteran Bader Al-Mutawaa used to equalize the score.

In the second half, it was not until the 84th minute when Salem Al-Buraiki snatched the three points for Qadisiya, which now tops the standings with 9 points in goal difference with Fahaheel. Qadisiya started the match in an attacking mood from the first whistle while relying on Lucas in front of Bader Al-Mutawaa and Eid Al-Rashidi as Ahmad Al-Thafiri and Sultan Al-Enezi backing them up at midfield.

Meanwhile, Sahel made sure the defense remained solid and relied on counterattacks as the goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Mansour was able to thwart the scoring opportunities by Qadisiya, then Sahel surprised Qadisiya by scoring a goal of their own in the 17th minute. Sahel almost scored again if not for the heroics of Qadisiya's goal keeper Khalid Al-Rashidi.

Qadisiya continued their attack in the second half as Sahel maintained a balanced performance - defending and attacking - until Qadisiya's substitutes Udai Al-Saifi and Salem Al-Buraiki arrived, thus yielding the winning goal in the 84th minute. The second match between Kuwait and Kazma ended in a 1-1 draw. Kuwait's Abdallah Al-Buraiki scored in the 73rd minute only to have Kazma's Nasser Faraj scoring the equalizer 7 minutes later from the penalty spot. Kuwait now has five points while Kazma has two.

It was a lively match between the two teams as both were trying to make up for lost opportunities in their previous matches. Kazma had the better start and attempted to carry out attacks but Kuwait's defense was very effective. The second half saw both teams adopting an attacking philosophy and it was in the 73rd minute when Abdallah Al-Buraiki scored after receiving a pass from Sami Al-Sane.

Kazma did not relent and remained on the attack and gained a penalty kick that was converted into a goal by Nasser Faraj in the 80th minute. Al-Nasr Sports Club defeated Khaitan by the score of 2-0 as Salem Al-Mislati scored in the 49th minute and Mishal Fawaz in the 60th. Al-Nasr now has 6 points while Khaitan has a lonely one. Finally, the match between Tadhamon and Jahra ended in a scoreless draw. Tadhamon now has 4 points in 4th place as Jahra is in 5th place with 3 points.