Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Amman: Lebanon comfortably finished third in Group A of the qualifiers for the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup with a 12-1 victory over Kuwait but the more salient factor from the match is perhaps the much-improved showing by the girls from the Gulf.
With both teams out of the reckoning for a place in next year’s continental finals there was nothing but pride to play for in Sunday’s meeting at the Amman International Stadium, particularly for a Kuwait side who had shipped 18 goals in their opener against Uzbekistan and then 21 in their next game against Group A hosts Jordan.
Kuwait, who had conceded the opening goal within the first five minutes of both those matches, held out until the 12th minute when defender Sahar Dbouk broke the deadlock before Nadia Assaf extended Lebanon’s lead seven minutes later.
Two in two minutes from midfielders Hiba El Jaafil (27th) and Nadine Schtakleff (29th) doubled Lebanon’s advantage and after Lara Bahlawan made it 5-0 in the 38th minute, Saria Al Sayegh struck number six one minute into first-half stoppage time.
Al Sayegh added the seventh just sixty seconds after the restart before further goals from Assaf (51st), skipper Taghrid Hamadeh (56th) and Schtakleff (77th) took Lebanon into double figures.
Substitute Sara Bakri, a 53rd minute replacement for fellow midfielder Assile Toufaily, made it 11-0 with ten minutes remaining and with four minutes left to play captain Amani Hajji netted Kuwait’s first goal of the qualifiers.
However, the Group A outsiders were denied the consolation of having the final say in their last match as Bahlawan became the fourth Lebanese player to score a brace when she netted her side’s 12th three minutes into stoppage-time.