Rogerinho scoops MVP award

Rogerinho (Rogério de Assis Silva Coutinho) scored Kuwait SC's second goal three minutes before half time after Chadi Hammami had given his side the lead after just two minutes with a successful conversion from the penalty spot.

The 25-year-old midfielder was in impressive form throughout the final at a packed out Francouse Al Hareeri Stadium and he was unable to contain his delight at picking up the trophy.

"I'm really happy that I helped my team to win the title and to be chosen the MVP of the tournament," he said. "It was an exciting game and it was great to win by such a big margin against a strong team.

"I wouldn't have won this award had it not been for the help and effort of my teammates.

"I'm happy to have won this individual award after the performances that I had with the team. I want to congratulate my teammates and the club's administration for winning the title for the second time in four years."

Rogerinho's goal just before halftime cranked up the pressure on an Arbil side that was looking to overcome Kuwait SC for the first time in three meetings between the clubs but, as they pushed forward in their quest for a way back into the game, they left themselves open for more punishment.

As a result, goals from Abdulhadi Khamis and a second for Hammami in the final seven minutes condemned the home side to a comprehensive defeat.

"We deserved to win after so many good performances and after winning most of the matches we played in," said Rogerinho. "We also defeated strong opponents and this means that we deserved to be on top of the competition.

"We weren't affected tonight by the big crowd who attended the game. We had previously defeated Arbil at this stadium and in front of a big crowd before.

"The fans were great and their presence motivated us to give our best to win the title."