Yemen leaves Gulf 24 by a point difference from Iraq

Yemen and Iraq were held to a goalless draw in the third round of Group A of Gulf 24 at Al-Duhail Stadium.

The Yemeni coach Sami Al Na’ash relied on Mohammed Ayash, the manager of Abed Rabbo, Ahmed Al-Sadiq, Mohammed Bugshan, Alaa Noaman, Emad Mansour, Abdulwasea Al-Matari, Nasser Mohammedoh, Omar Al-Dahi, Ayman Al-Hajri and Ahmed Al-Masroori.

Meanwhile, Slovenian Katanec entered the match with a squad consisting of Fahd Talib, Ali Fayez, Maytham Jabbar, Durgham Ismail, Mustafa Mohammed, Safa Hadi, Mohammed Reda, Hassan Hammoud, Mohammed Qasim, Alaa Abdulzahra and Alaa Abbas.

The game began as expected, relatively calm due to the lack of motivation from the two teams and the circumstances of the group that had them to enter this way.

The VAR technology recorded the most significant event since the beginning of the game when Kuwaiti referee Ahmed Ali saw the violent entry of Iraqi player Mustafa Mohammed Ali at the eighth minute and a red card was given to him. Katanec rushed to modify the ranks by involving Alaa Mahawi instead of Ala Abdulzahra.

The Iraqi team succeeded in reducing the numerical difference between them and their opponent through the optimal deployment on the field and keeping the ball between the feet of their players. However, it clearly demonstrated the impact of the expulsion on their attacking intentions and dimmed their luster in areas of the Yemeni team unlike what we saw in the previous two games.

The calmness continued with the beginning of the second half and did not witness the violence and the unbridled desire to score the first goal. Everyone waited until the 58th minute to see the Yemeni team’s first dangerous reach to Iraq’s goal through Abdulwasie Al-Matari and his ball fell into the net. The joy of the Yemenis did not last long after the intervention of the VAR to cancel the goal making the result back to zero.

The changes continued by Slovenian coach Katanec and Yemeni Sami Al Na’ash to revive the two teams technically and to revitalize the performance. In the 72nd minute, Ali Fayez converted a stray header for the Iraqi national team which went so far.

The game went to an end as it started with a goalless draw, bringing the Iraqi team to the seventh point, while the Yemeni team achieved its first point.

Back to top button