Captain Afif strikes brace in Qatar’s easy win over Kuwait

Akram Afif donned the captain’s armband for the first time and the star striker celebrated his new role in style with a brace as Qatar swept past Kuwait 3-0 in the preliminary joint qualification – Round 2 match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027.At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, the Asian champions broke the deadlock two minutes into second half after a simple tap-in from Afif. Four minutes later 19-year-old substitute Ahmed al-Rawi scored his first ever senior goal, before Afif added another in 68th minute.The win took Qatar a step closer to qualifying for the next round as they aim to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. Qatar lead the Group A with nine points, five clear of second-placed India, who drew with Afghanistan 0-0 on Thursday.Qatar now travel to Kuwait for the reverse fixture, which will be held on March 26 at the Sabah al-Salem Stadium and a win in Kuwait City could well seal their place in the third round of the qualifiers.The first sight on goal went Qatar’s way, Jassem Garber’s half-volley from outside the box took a deflection off a defender to go narrowly wide with Kuwait goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor rooted.There was a poignant moment at the 10th minute mark when the fans at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium paid homage to former Qatar captain Hassan al-Haydos – who recently announced his international retirement – by unfurling a banner with the image of the two-time AFC Asian Cup winner.On the pitch, a mistake in the 15th minute almost gifted the opening goal to Kuwait, goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham missed an attempted punch and had teammate Lucas Mendes to thank for clearing Yousef al-Sulaiman’s follow-up on the line. Qatar gradually grew stronger and a curling free-kick from Afif – appointed captain – only needed a touch but Almoez Ali and Yusuf Abdurisag got in each other’s way, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.Marquez Lopez’s side came out firing on all cylinders in the second half after the Spanish coach – who was recently rewarded for Asian Cup triumph with a contract till 2026 – made changes. He brought in Ismail Mohamed and Ahmed al-Rawi for Abdullah al-Maarafi and Mahdi Salem.And the hosts quickly built themselves a two-goal lead. Two minutes into the restart, Afif fired in from close range before substitute al-Rawi doubled the score in the 51st minute, controlling the ball perfectly to smash home a rebound after Abdulghafoor spilled a save.Qatar’s dominance saw them add a third through Afif in the 68th minute, the skipper scoring from the rebound after his initial effort had bounced off Abdulghafoor. With eight minutes left to play, Afif unselfishly set up al-Rawi for the shot, only for the attempt to hit a defender as Qatar eased off in the closing minutes to claim a comfortable win.