Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Baha Faisal Mohammad scored a second-half hat-trick as Jordan drew 3-3 with Kuwait to qualify for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship as Group B winners.
The tenth and final automatic qualifier for next year’s 2016 Olympic-qualifying tournament came down to Wednesday’s top-of-the-table clash with Jordan needing only a point to finish first in Group B ahead of a Kuwaiti side that had to win having failed to pick up all three points from their opening fixture following a goalless draw with Kyrgyzstan.
The crucial encounter at the Al Qattara Stadium remained deadlocked for almost an hour, with Baha Faisal Mohammad giving Jordan the lead with the first of his treble in the 58th minute.
The lead lasted just five minutes when Faisal Al Azemi drew Kuwait level with the first goal that Jordan keeper Noureddin Ateyah had conceded in the entire qualification campaign having shutout both Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan as the Hashemite Kingdom put themselves in the Group B driving seat with respective 5-0 and 4-0 victories.
Ateyah, who has represented his country at every level of youth competition, was beaten for a second time soon after, and again it was Al Azemi that was on target for Kuwait, with the Qadsia striker finding the net in the 68th minute to score twice in two consecutive matches after scoring both goals in Kuwait’s 2-0 win over Pakistan in their penultimate fixture.
It was to be Al Azemi’s last involvement in the match as he was immediately replaced by Mahmoud Abdullah and just three minutes after the substitute midfielder had entered the fray Jordan were on level terms when Mohammad scored his second of the match before the Al Wehdat attacker sent his side closer to Qatar 2016 with number three five minutes from time.
Kuwait needed to score twice to keep alive their hopes of qualifying to next year’s AFC U-23 Championship but all they could manage was an equaliser four minutes into stoppage time from defender Mohammad Al Nassar, which was too little too late as Jordan claimed Group B top spot.
Jordan topped the table with seven points, two clear of Kuwait and four more than Pakistan, who defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-1 to finish third with the Central Asians bringing up the rear with just the solitary point from the opening draw with Kuwait.
Pakistan, who had been scheduled to host the Group B qualifiers back in March before the venue was moved to the UAE due to the security situation in Lahore following the troubles in the Youhanabad area of the city, came from a goal down to end their campaign on a positive note.
Avazbek Okteev gave Kyrgyzstan a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute only for Pakistan captain Sadam Hussain to even the match with five minutes of the first-half remaining.
A Manas Karipov own goal ten minutes after the interval put Pakistan 2-1 up before substitute Mansoor Khan struck in the 88th minute to seal the win for the South Asians, who had skipper and goal scorer Hussain sent off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence.
Jordan, the nine other group winners and five best second-placed teams will join hosts Qatar at the AFC U-23 Championship 2016, with January’s 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio.