The Kuwaiti national team shocked its Jordanian counterpart in its home turf and forced a 1-1 draw in the match that took place on Thursday evening at the Amman International Stadium, in the opening of their journey in Group Two in the decisive round of Asian Qualifiers Qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Al-Taamari fired a rocket shot in the 14th minute, and the ball settled in the far left corner of Kuwait goalkeeper Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor, before the 90+2 minute witnessed the equalizer for the Kuwaiti team from the penalty spot, successfully executed by Youssef Nasser.
At the end of the first round of Group Two, the Iraqi team topped the group standings with 3 points, followed by Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine and South Korea with one point each, while the Omani team remained without points.
The Jordanian national team delegation will head to Malaysia on Friday morning on a private plane, with the flight taking about 15 hours, to face the Palestinian national team in the second round next Tuesday.
Al-Taamari gives Jordan the lead
The Al-Nashama team showed its attacking fangs early on, and Ali Alwan slipped in from the left side, dribbled past the defenders and shot a ball that hit the Kuwaiti defense and went out for a corner kick, before Abdullah Naseeb’s header went next to goalkeeper Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor’s left post.
The Jordanian national team lineup witnessed two changes from the usual lineup in terms of the defense line, as Hossam Abu Al-Dhahab and Mohammed Abu Hashish were included instead of Ihsan Haddad and Salem Al-Ajaleen.
In the face of these Jordanian offensive attempts, the Kuwaiti Blues sought to calm the game and absorb the home team’s momentum by passing the balls across the field at a time when Alwan was under strict supervision from Sami Al-Sanea.
The Jordanian team did not delay in crowning its superiority with the first goal after Musa Al-Taamari received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and shot it with great force to the left of Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor in the 14th minute.
After falling behind, the Kuwaiti team tried to be more daring in attack, as Sultan Al-Enezi, Faisal Al-Harbi, Reda Abu Habara and Adhbi Saleh imposed their influence on the midfield area, but they found it difficult to find spaces and provide funding for Youssef Nasser in the front line.
The Kuwaiti team almost equalized in the last minute of the first half after the ball caused confusion inside the penalty area and reached Faisal Al-Harbi, who headed it while he was one step away from the Al-Nashama goal, but Abu Laila saved the situation.
Kuwait national team achieves a draw in the last minute
The Al-Nashama team continued its offensive pressure in the second half, and Al-Taamari passed a perfect ball to Nour Al-Rawabdeh, who shot it powerfully and it went over the goal, while the Kuwait team tried to respond in kind, but it suffered from the cut balls in the middle of the field due to the strength of its competitor’s midfield.
Kuwait’s Argentine coach Juan Pizzi made several substitutions, bringing in the duo Yousef Majed and Salman Burmiah to enhance his capabilities in attacking build-up operations. Jordan’s goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila almost made a mistake in clearing the ball in front of Majed, as he came out to clear the ball, but it hit Majed Salman’s head and passed over his goal.
The Jordanian national team star left Musa Al-Taamari Injured in the 62nd minute after following a ball inside the penalty area and colliding with the advertising board inside the stadium, he was replaced by player Youssef Abu Jalboush.
Jordan coach Jamal Salami withdrew Yazan Al-Naimat as he appeared exhausted and replaced him with striker Abdullah Al-Attar, before Faisal Al-Harbi executed a direct free kick that went powerfully over Yazeed Abu Laila’s goal.
In the 85th minute, Jordan striker Ali Alwan was awarded a penalty kick after being obstructed by defender Khaled Ibrahim, before Emirati referee Adel Al Naqbi returned to video technology and rescinded the penalty.
Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab made a fatal mistake when he blocked Moaz Al Enezi’s path, which was called a penalty kick by the Kuwaiti national team player Yousef Nasser, who successfully executed it in the 90+2 minute, ending the match in a 1-1 draw.
