Kuwait’s campaign in the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup came to an end following a 3-2 defeat to Iraq in their Group A match at King Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on September 26. The loss left Kuwait without any points after two games, having previously fallen 1-0 to Saudi Arabia. Iraq, meanwhile, moved to four points in the group standings.
Kuwait head coach Hélio Sousa made multiple changes to the starting XI from their opening match, introducing Athbi Shihab, Yousif Nasser, Mubarak Al-Feneini, and Mohsen Falah. The Kuwaiti side demonstrated solid defensive organization in the first half, with attacks primarily developed through Al-Feneini, Mohammed Daham, and Nasser. Iraq focused their efforts on penetrating the center of the pitch and exploiting Kuwait’s right flank.
Despite opportunities for both teams, neither side managed to score before halftime. Key saves included a strong stop by Kuwait goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Houshan denying Mohammed Qasim and a notable save by Iraqi keeper Ahmed Basra against a powerful shot from Daham.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 54th minute when Iraq’s Zaid Iqbal finished from close range after a pass from Ali Jassim. Sousa responded by making three substitutions, bringing on Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Muath Al-Dhafiri, and Yousif Majid in an attempt to change the momentum.
Kuwait leveled the score in the 74th minute when Yousif Nasser converted a penalty awarded after Majid was fouled inside the area by Haider Abdul Karim. However, Iraq reclaimed the lead nine minutes later through substitute Ahmed Yahya, who scored with a backheel finish following a cross from Saif Rashid.
Kuwait showed resilience and found an equalizer again in the final minute of regulation time when Nasser tapped in a free-kick delivery from Daham. The match appeared destined for a draw until the seventh minute of stoppage time, when Iraqi substitute Karrar Nabil seized on a loose ball inside the penalty area and struck a left-footed shot to secure a dramatic late victory for Iraq.
Separately, the Gulf Football Federation Referees Committee announced the officiating assignments for subsequent matches. Kuwaiti referee Abdullah Jemali will lead the team overseeing the UAE-Bahrain match, assisted by Saud Al-Shamali and Ali Jragh, with Abdullah Arab serving as the VAR official. Portugal’s Joao Pinheiro is appointed as the fourth official, and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Shahri will act as the VAR referee. Additional appointments include Oman’s Ibrahim Al-Hosni as referee assessor. For the Yemen-Qatar game, Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh will officiate, supported by Mohammed Al-Khalaf and Ahmed Al-Ruwaili, with Iraq’s Zaid Thamer as fourth official. VAR duties will be performed by Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Al-Harbi and China’s Fu Ming, with UAE’s Hamad Al-Mazrouei as referee assessor.