Kuwait Club tightens grip on top spot as injuries mount

Players jump for the ball during Zain Premier League match between Kuwait Club and Al-Sahel.

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 9: Kuwait Club moved further clear at the top of the Zain Premier League after securing a 3-0 victory over Al-Sahel at Al-Sadaqa Wal-Salam Stadium in the eighth-round finale the night before last.

The win took Kuwait Club's tally to 19 points, giving them a four-point cushion over their nearest challengers.

Al-Sahel, despite the defeat, put up a strong fight, particularly in the first half, when it proved a difficult opponent for the league leader. However, it conceded the opening goal in the final minute of the half before being reduced to 10 men for the second period following Mohammed Al-Rashed's dismissal for a rough challenge.

Kuwait Club, meanwhile, delivered a convincing performance, dominated much of the match, and did enough to claim all three points.

The league will now go on a break until Nov 20 to allow the Kuwait national team to play two friendly matches during the FIFA international window.

Kuwait Club has also been dealing with a growing injury list. Amr Abdel-Fattah was forced off against Al-Sahel, while Saud Al-Houshan and Mohammed Daham missed the match through injury. Mohsen Falah and Mesari Ghanem also remain unavailable.

Qadsia responded to its derby setback with a narrow 1-0 win over Jahra, moving into second place with 15 points.

The victory was particularly significant because Kazma, who previously held second, lost to Salmiya and slipped to third with 14 points. It was also Kazma's first loss of the season.

Salmiya benefited from the result, keeping its title ambitions alive with a valuable victory that lifted it to fifth place on 13 points. It is level with Al-Nasr, who failed to add to its tally after losing 2-1 to Arabi.

Arabi continued its impressive revival, recording its third consecutive win to reach 12 points and climbs to sixth place. It has made remarkable progress after sitting 10th just three rounds earlier.

Fahaheel slipped to 7th after surrendering 2 points in a 2-2 draw with Sulaibikhat, which moved Sulaibikhat to 11th with 5 points.

Al-Shabab remained eighth on eight points after falling to Tadamon. The latter secured its second successive victory to reach six points and move into 10th place.

Jahra stayed ninth on seven points despite another encouraging display against one of the league's leading sides. However, it couldn't turn its performance into points, falling 1-0 to Qadsia.