UAE 2 KUWAIT 2
UAE - Mabkhout 18', 35'
Kuwait - Al Sulaiman 37', Al Mutawa 39'
Man of the match - Bader Al Mutawa (Kuwait)
Before this Gulf Cup in Riyadh began there was plenty of debate about the merits of the tournament, and the drab draws on the first three days only confirmed the beliefs of those who see no need for this tournament.
The first five matches produced three goals with three of those games goalless snooze-fests.
That and Bahrain’s shambolic defending in the 3-0 loss to Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, were not great advertisements for the tournament.
Monday night, however, the UAE and Kuwait brought the competition to life in a thrilling clash that provided four goals inside the first 39 minutes.
There was no addition to the scoreline in the remaining minutes, but the end-to-end action continued until the final whistle and neither side can complain about sharing the points.
The draw has probably toughened UAE’s odds of reaching the semis but a repeat of last night’s spirited performance, which was a huge improvement over their lackadaisical effort in the 0-0 draw against Oman, against Iraq on Thursday could still see them make the grade.
Starting the game at a breakneck pace, both teams tested the two goalkeepers several times before Ali Mabkhout opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
Credit for the goal, though, belonged to the little man with the magical left foot and distinctive Afro.
Omar Abdulrahman won the ball in his own half and took off.
With the white shirts outnumbering the blues, the Al Ain star relayed it for Mabkhout, who then cut across a defender before depositing it into the net.
The UAE had had a couple of opportunities before that and all emanated from the genius of Abdulrahman.
On the first, Mabkhout was slow to take a shot, and Ismail Al Hammadi was unfortunate to be denied by the crossbar a minute before the opening goal.
Ahmed Khalil should have made it 2-0 in the 21st minute, off another break, but he hesitated before his final shot and was dispossessed.
Al Hammadi then blasted a rebound high over an unmanned Kuwaiti goal in the 25th minute.
Mohaned Salem’s header was just wide of the mark four minutes later.
The UAE had Kuwait on the mat during that period, and they eventually got the second in the 35th minute.
Omar Abdulrahman, again, started the proceedings with a deft back-heel, followed by a one-two with Amer Abdulrahman to keep the Kuwaiti defence guessing.
The latter then tapped the ball over to Mabkhout, who finished off without much ado.
The UAE fans were celebrating the three points at that stage.
But Bader Al Mutawa, the veteran Kuwaiti player, turned the match around in the space of two minutes.
First, the 29-year-old forward fed a cross for Yousef Al Sulaiman, who rose between Mohammed Ahmed and Salem to make it 2-1 in the 37th minute.
Two minutes later, he equalised with a stunning shot – a scorching volley from outside the box that was clocked at 91kph.
That goal would comfortably make the list of best strikes anywhere in the globe and it also served to, in the end, deny the UAE of three points that would have been well earned.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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