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RENEWED QATAR OFF TO A FLYING START IN GULF CUP

Basrah, Iraq: Asian champions Qatar on Saturday beat former champions Kuwait 2-0 in their Group B clash of the Arabian Gulf Cup.

Qatar scored their goals through Amro Surag (23) and Ahmed Alaaeldin (37, penalty) to snap a three-match losing streak at Al-Minaa Stadium.

Playing with a young side vastly different from the squad that appeared at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in late November, Qatar delivered a commanding show in front of a huge crowd on what was the second day of the tournament.

This was Qatar’s 19th win over Kuwait in head-to-head and their first in five matches.

Surag curled in a well-placed right-footed drive from the edge of the Iraq box to open the scoring in the 23rd minute..

The maroons capitalized on the lead to take full command of the remaining part of the first half.

In the 32nd minute, Surag once again produced a curling shot towards the left of the goalpost but Kuwaiti goalkeeper Abdul Ghafoor deflected the ball away with his outstretched left palm.

After Alaaeldin was brought down inside the Kuwait box in the 36th minute. The referee pointed to the spot kick which was easily converted by Qatar for a 2-0 lead.

In the 48th minute, Kuwait could have reduced the gap when Eid Al Rashedi dribbled past the goalkeeper, but his shot went into the side of the net.

In the 78th minute, the referee showed a yellow card for Abdullah Ghanem, the first yellow card for a Kuwait player and the second for the match. Qatar’s Homam Ahmed got a yellow in the 57th minute.

Kuwait’s Faisal Zayed unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the Qatar box but the ball missed the right goalpost narrowly in the 85th minute.

Group B also includes Bahrain, who won the first match of the group with a 2-1 win against the United Arab Emirates.

Qatar, coached by Bruno Pinheiro, take on Bahrain on Tuesday at the same venue followed by a match against the UAE on Friday.

Source: Qatar Football Association

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