Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuwait City: Bader Al Mutwa scored twice and set up two other goals as Kuwait’s Al Qadsia thrashed Omani champions Fanja 4-0 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Wednesday to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup.
The 2010 runners-up were given a dream start when Mesaed Nada headed in Al Mutwa’s free-kick after three minutes and Omar Al Suma then added a second off an Al Mutwa flick on the quarter-hour mark.
Al Mutwa got in on the scoring act when he made in 3-0 in the 33rd minute before he completed the rout in stoppage time at the end of the match with a superb finish for his second goal.
“We played with an attacking performance in order to avoid any surprises from our opponents especially as the match was very important as only the winners would advance to the next round,” said Al Qadsia coach Mohammad Ebrahim
“Our plan was performed very well by the players. We had a great start to the match and took a 3-0 lead by the end of the first half which gave us a good advantage by the second half when we added a fourth goal. The win is really important for us as we achieved our target.”
Al Qadsia were eliminated in the Round of 16 last year when they lost a penalty shootout to their league rivals Kuwait Sports Club. But there appeared to be little danger of that occurring again when they made a sensational start to the match.
The hosts were awarded a free-kick on the left flank and Al Mutwa swung the ball towards the near post where Nada outjumped the Fanja defence to power a header past Fanja goalkeeper Ahmed Al Hattali.
They would double their lead in the 15th minute as a cross by Saleh Al Sheikh was flicked on by Al Mutwa to Syrian forward Omar Al Suma who headed the ball past Al Hattali.
Fanja’s hopes of recovering from the early deficit suffered a further blow when Al Mutwa netted his first of the match just after the half-hour mark. Al Suma received a neat pass from Al Sheikh on the counter-attack and accelerated down the left flank before passing the ball unselfishly to an unmarked Al Mutwa who easily slotted the ball into the net.
Al Qadsia remained in the ascendancy after the interval but they were unable to add to their lead until right at the end when Al Mutwa received a ball on the left of the Fanja box and went past two defenders before curling a superb shot past Al Hattali into the top corner.
“I’m really disappointed with the result as it was a heavy defeat and the players didn’t have a good performance,” said Fanja coach Hicham Al Jadran.
“Our side lost concentration after the opening goal and then we conceded a second goal when we were trying to make a comeback in the game.
“Al Qadsia played with impressive attacking tactics and this gave them the upper hand in the first half. Our midfield was slow and we couldn’t move the ball quickly which helped Al Qadsia to control the game.”
Photo: WSG