Players jump for the ball during the Kuwait match against Qatar.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 30:  Kuwait’s U-20 national football team will take on Saudi Arabia tonight at 7:00 PM in Group A of the Gulf Cup at Prince Sultan Sports City Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Qatar will face Yemen in the same group.

Kuwait opened the tournament with a 2-2 draw against Qatar, while Saudi Arabia defeated Yemen 1-0. Saudi Arabia leads Group A with three points, followed by Kuwait and Qatar with one point each, and Yemen trailing with zero.

Kuwait showed strong form against Qatar, taking an early lead through Mohammed Al-Mulla in the 5th minute. Qatar equalized via Richard Robert in the 16th minute, but Abdullah Al-Qurzaei restored Kuwait’s lead in the 27th minute before Ahmed Nasser leveled the score again in the 29th minute.

In Group B, Iraq and Oman both claimed victories over Bahrain and Egypt (participating after the UAE withdrew). Faleh Hasan scored the decisive goal for Iraq in the 52nd minute, while Oman’s Hussam Al-Addad and Ahmed Salem (penalty) secured a 2-0 win over Egypt, giving Oman the group lead on goal difference.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s senior national team departs today for a training camp in Doha, Qatar, during the international break, which will run until September 9. The team is scheduled to play a friendly against Syria on September 8.

Coach Helio Sousa called up Kazma striker Talal Al-Qaisi to replace Bandar Boursali, who withdrew due to military commitments. The senior squad also includes Suleiman Abdulghafour, Khalid Al-Rashidi, Saud Al-Hoshan, Hassan Hamdan, Fahad Al-Hajri, Mishari Ghanam, Khalid Sabah, Mohammed Khalid, Moath Al-Zafeeri, Abdulwahab Al-Awadi, Sultan Al-Anzi, Khalid Al-Murshid, Mehdi Dashti, Rashid Al-Dosari, Bader Tarek, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Zafeeri, Othbi Shehab, Ahmed Al-Zanki, Fawaz Ayedh, Eid Al-Rashidi, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Salman Al-Awadi, Mohammed Daham, and Shbeeb Al-Khaldi.

Sousa canceled the planned friendly tournament in Jakarta against Lebanon and Indonesia to reduce travel and fatigue, marking his first squad assembly since taking over from Juan Antonio Pizzi. His first competitive task will be the Arab Cup qualification playoff against Mauritania on November 25 or 26.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff