Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuwait City: Kuwait Sporting Club remained on course for a third consecutive AFC Cup title as goals by Issam Jemaa, Husain Hakim and Jarah Al Ateeqi gave the defending champions a 3-0 win over Bahraini side Riffa 3-0 in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.
Jemaa opened the scoring at Kuwait SC just before half-time and Hakim and Al Ateeqi converted late free-kicks for the home side as they advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup for the fifth time in six seasons.
“The match was not easy as Riffa are a good side and they have good players who work well as a team,” said Kuwait SC coach Abdulaziz Hamada.
“Free kicks are solutions that we had in mind to score goals and we successfully converted two free kicks into goals.
“We tried our best to use good attacks in the second period in order to keep Riffa at bay and we managed to do so. We hope that we can continue with the same performances in the next matches and we have a lot of work to do in order to retain our title.”
Semi-finalists on their only previous appearance in the AFC Cup in 2010, Riffa made a bright start to the game and the Group D runners-up nearly took the lead in the eighth minute when Rashed Al Hooti’s cross found Saad Al Amer who rattled the crossbar with a first-time shot.
Kuwait SC took time to settle into the game but they would go in front just a minute before the interval.
Al Hooti failed to clear from inside his box and Tunisian midfielder Chadi Hammami robbed him of possession before feeding his compatriot Jemaa who turned the ball into the Riffa net from close range.
Buoyed by the goal, Kuwait SC held the upper hand in the second half as Riffa struggled to find a way back into the match.
However, a second goal did not arrive until the 82nd minute when Rogerio Coutinho was fouled just outside the Riffa box and Hakim fired a powerful free kick with his right foot which flew past goalkeeper Hamad Al Doseri to make it 2-0.
The defending champions would add some gloss to the scoreline deep into added time when they were awarded another free-kick. Al Ateeqi took it this time with his left foot and he also gave Al Doseri little chance to give his side a 3-0 win and a spot in the knockout stage draw to be held on May 28.
“The experience of Kuwait SC played an important role in their win as their players have good experience in the competition. We had a good performance and the result doesn’t reflect what happened tonight,” said Riffa coach Florin Motroc.
“The first half was good for us and we created many scoring chances but the players couldn’t score before we conceded a late goal. In the second period we increased the pressure but we were not lucky and in football if you don’t score you will concede goals.”