Kuwait manage 1-1 draw with Turkmenistan in friendly

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 15: Kuwait National Football Team drew 1-1 with their counterparts from Turkmenistan in a friendly game at the Jaber International Stadium, as Kuwait did not participate in the playoffs fourth round.

The game witnessed major changes in terms of selection. Thamer Enad included Ahmad Ibrahim, Hamad Al-Harbi, Mohammad Fareh and Abdullah Al-Buraiki from the beginning to ensure coordination between the newly introduced players and the regulars.

The Blues coordinated well with the glimpses of homogeneity, especially on the attacking line that withdrew at the appropriate times and without giving their opponents chance during the first half. However, the tactics changed in the second half so much that the time fell below expectation.

As the game began, the Kuwaiti team positioned Sulaiman Abdul-Ghafour in the post supported by the quartet of Mohammad Fareh, Hamad Al-Harbi, Fahad Hamoud and Ahmad Ibrahim, while the trio of Redha Hani Irtikaz, Fahad Al-Ansari and Ahmad Al-Thufairi held the midfield tight.

In attack were Abdullah Al-Buraiki, Mubarak Al-Funaini, and the gangling striker Yousef Nasser who threatened their opponents in the first 15 minutes of the game, and the most dangerous move came from Yousef Nasser in the 17th minute to complement previous strikes from Al-Funaini and Al-Thufairi, but missed the target.

The Blues wasted several scoring chances while moving deep into the penalty area of their opponents. As time went by, Turkmenistan mounted pressure on Kuwait to test Abdul-Ghafour but it was futile.