JEDDAH: Iraq defeated Kuwait 3-2 in a dramatic Arabian Gulf Cup encounter in Jeddah, with tensions boiling over into a confrontation between players from both teams after the final whistle.
Several players exchanged heated words before the incident escalated into pushing and physical confrontation. Teammates and officials intervened to separate the players and bring the situation under control.
Iraq Secure Late Victory
Iraq took the lead in the 52nd minute through Zaidan Iqbal, but Kuwait levelled the match when Yousef Nasser converted a penalty in the 75th minute.
Saif Rasheed restored Iraq’s advantage in the 83rd minute, only for Nasser to score his second goal in the 90th minute and make it 2-2.
Kuwait’s Abdulwahab Al-Awadhy was shown a red card during stoppage time. Moments later, Karrar Nabeel scored a late winner in added time to give Iraq a 3-2 victory.
Post-Match Confrontation
The confrontation occurred as players were leaving the field. A verbal exchange between members of the two teams developed into pushing before teammates and officials stepped in.
Iraq forward Aymen Hussein initially attempted to defuse the situation involving Kuwait captain Yousef Nasser and Iraq’s Zaidan Iqbal, but tensions continued before the players were separated.
The victory took Iraq to four points from two matches, while Kuwait remained without a point after losing both of its games.