Siraj scores on debut as Qatar sail past Kuwait in opener

Amro Siraj scored on debut while his Al Gharafa teammate Ahmed Alaaeldin added another as a young Qatar side beat Kuwait 2-0 in their Arabian Gulf Cup opener in Basra, Iraq, Saturday.
At the newly-built Al Minaa Olympic Stadium, Qatar – missing several seniors – made light work of lack of experience in the squad as they comfortably cleared the opening hurdle. Both goals were scored in the first half with Siraj finding the net in the 23rd minute, while Alaaeldin converted a penalty in the 38th minute.
Qatar are top of Group B ahead of Bahrain, who had earlier beat the United Arab Emirates 2-0. The three-time champions next face the defending champions Bahrain on Tuesday.
Bruno Pinheiro, a temporary replacement to Qatar’s long-serving coach Felix Sanchez – who left his post last week – handed out maiden senior international debuts to Siraj and Tamim Mansour, who is the son of former Qatari striker Mansour Muftah.
Ten-time champions Kuwait controlled the possession and had more shots on goal Saturday but paid a heavy price for their defensive frailties. Qatar were clinical when presented with an opportunity, whose opening goal came after Kuwait defender Sultan al-Enezi made a shabby clearance with Siraj pouncing on it as he swept the ball into the far right post.
There was more pain for Kuwait as defender Meshari Ghanam tripped a charging Alaaeldin in the box, with the Qatar striker calmly putting the ball in the net from spot. In the second half, Kuwait dominated the possession but were unable to breach the Qatari defence.
“We are happy to start with a win but we must be consistent,” Qatar defender Homam al-Amin said after the match. “We will now shift focus on the match against Bahrain and we look to bag full points against them. It was very surprising to see fans backing us here. It was like we were playing in Doha and we are happy to receive such a support,” he added,
Earlier, goals from Komail al-Aswad and Jassim al-Shaikh gave holders Bahrain a 2-1 win over the UAE. Al-Aswad scored off a free kick in the 60th minute, while al-Shaikh nodded a cross in the 78th minute. Substitute Sebastian Tagliabue scored a consolation goal for the UAE’s in the stoppage time.
The UAE, who are missing their all-time leading goalscorer Ali Mabkhout, controlled the game in the opening 30 minutes. Forward Ali Saleh shot wide, while defender Khalid Ibrahim’s long-range attempt was easily saved by goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaffer.
But Bahrain created the best chance, with Ali Madan’s effort blocked brilliantly by UAE goalkeeper Khalid Essa. But Bahrain were not to be denied at the hour mark as al-Aswad curled home a free kick from 20 yards after Khaled al-Dhanhani had fouled Mada
With 12 minutes remaining, the defending champs doubled their advantage after midfielder al-Shaikh strike from the edge of the box beat Essa. The UAE pulled a goal back through Tagliabue’s excellent header but ran out of time in search of an equaliser. The UAE next face Kuwait on Tuesday in what has become a must-win tie for both the sides as only the top two from the pool progress to the semi-finals.
On Friday night, Saudi Arabia defeated Yemen 2-0 in their Group A. First half goals from debutantes Sumayhan al-Nabit and Musab al-Juwayr did the job for three-time winners at Basra International Stadium.
Saudi – who had shocked eventual champions Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar – have arrived in Iraq with an inexperienced squad. But still the Green Falcons’ had enough quality in their line-up to get past Yemen.