Kuwait opened the third round of qualifying with a huge win on the road after surviving a late U.A.E. comeback. The side raced out to a 3-0 lead, only to concede twice in the final 10 minutes to set up a nervy last minute.
Yousef Al-Sulaiman was the star man for Kuwait, scoring a brace, and Bader Al-Mutwa scored a fantastic goal to help the team to a flying start.
Al-Sulaiman first struck in the eighth minute with a right-footed shot in the box. Kuwait held that lead through halftime when Al-Mutwa connected on a wonderstrike. A free kick was played short to his feet when he looked up, saw the goalkeeper out of position and struck a ferocious drive into the top corner from over 30 yards out. Al-Sulaiman then took advantage of a lazy back pass to put Kuwait three goals clear.
They may have grown too complacent with the lead however, as U.A.E. did show some fight to get back in the game. Ismaeel Al-Hamadi beat a couple of men in the box before firing low for a goal in the 84th and just five minutes later headed home a cross unmarked. Unfortunately for the U.A.E. it was too little, too late.
Kuwait sits second in group B to South Korea, and will host that side on Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.A.E. hopes to get its campaign back on track when they travel to Lebanon.
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