AFC
Doha
Qatar turned on the power in the second half to defeat Kuwait 3-0 on Thursday to remain perfect in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 MVP and Top Scorer Akram Afif, who also took over the responsibility as the team captain, netted twice and the Maroons could well seal their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 with a second win over Kuwait in the reverse fixture on Tuesday (March 26).
The first sight on goal went Qatar’s way, Jassem Gaber’s half-volley from outside the box took a deflection off a defender to go narrowly wide with Kuwait goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor rooted.
There was a poignant moment at the 10th minute mark when the fans at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium paid homage to former Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos – who recently announced his international retirement – by unfurling a banner with the image of the two-time AFC Asian Cup winner.
On the pitch, a mistake in the 15th minute almost gifted the opening goal to Kuwait, goalkeeper Meeshal Barsham missed an attempted punch and had teammate Lucas Mendes to thank for clearing Yousef Al Sulaiman’s follow-up on the line.
Qatar gradually grew stronger and a curling free-kick from Afif– appointed captain – only needed a touch but Almoez Ali and Yusuf Abdurisag got in each other’s way, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.
Marquez Lopez’s side came out firing on all cylinders in the second half and quickly built themselves a two-goal lead.
Two minutes into the restart, Afif fired in from close range before substitute Ahmed Al Rawi doubled the score in the 51st minute, controlling the ball perfectly to smash home a rebound after Abdulghafoor spilled a save.
Qatar’s dominance saw them add a third through Afif in the 68th minute, the skipper scoring from the rebound after his initial effort had bounced off Abdulghafoor.
With eight minutes left to play, Afif unselfishly set up
AlRawi for the shot, only
for the attempt to hit a defender as Qatar eased off in the
closing minutes to claim a comfortable win.
