Kuwait Oly team begins AFC U-23 journey
DOHA, April 16: Kuwait kicked off its journey in the AFC U-23 Cup when it faces Vietnam at 6:30 pm in the opening match of the Group D, while Uzbekistan will take on Malaysia at 4 pm on the same day.
Unfortunately, Kuwait will be without several key players, including Badr Al-Mutairi and Abdullah Al-Enezi, who have joined the injured list alongside Bandar AlSalama, Dhari Al-Otaibi, Abdulaziz Naji, Salman Al-Bous, and Youssef Majed, who were excluded by Portuguese coach Emilio Peixe for tactical reasons.
Despite attending a training camp in Abu Dhabi prior to the tournament, Al-Azraq did not engage in any friendly matches. The team roster boasts notable players such as Salman Al-Awadi, Ibrahim Kamil, Abdul Rahman Kamil, Mohsen Falah, and Mahdi Dashti.
In their second appearance in the tournament, Kuwait aims to progress to the second round. Meanwhile, Vietnam, competing in their fourth tournament, seeks redemption after reaching the final in 2008, only to lose to Uzbekistan, who is also eyeing a strong start against Malaysia.
SOCCER
Meanwhile, Qatar secured a 2-0 victory over Indonesia in the first group encounter at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. Khaled Ali (45+1) and Ahmed Al-Rawi (54) scored for Al-Annabi, while Indonesia ended the match with nine players following the dismissals of Ivar Jenner (46) and Ramadan Sananta (90+6).
In the second match, the Jordan drew 0-0 with Australia at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. Qatar leads the group with 3 points, followed by Jordan and Australia with 1 point each, while Indonesia is yet to secure any points.