KUWAIT CITY - Substitute Abdullah Al-Hamddanchanged the rules of the game by scoring twice asSaudi Arabia beat Iraq 3-1 to secure their 26th Place in the Khaleeji Zain finals.
The match at the Jaber Ahmed InternationalStadium was closely contested until WAR intervened in the 53rd minute and Saudi Arabiawere penalised for bowling. Captain Salem Al-Dawsari quickly converted the penalty to give histeam the lead. (Mohamad Ali) equalised to the horror of the Saudi fans. He cut in from the right and curled a beautiful left-footed shot into the top corner to restore Saudi Arabia's lead and dashIraq's hopes of retaining their title.
Hamdan scored his second goal in the 85th minute, taking advantage of the gap and making a superb assist to send Saudi Arabia into the final. Yemen Dominated the group stage and shocked Group Bleeders Bahrain in the 41st minute. Nasser Al-Gahwashi's low cross was deflected into the net byBahraini midfielder Ibrahim Al-Khatal. Bahrain Equalised in the 62nd minute with Mohamed Al-Romaihi, but their momentum was cut short whenSayed Baqer took possession of the ball.
He was sent off at the time. Yemen secured their first win of the tournament with a stunning goal fromHarwan Al-Zubaidi. Bahrain, who are in Group B, willface hosts Kuwait, who are in second place in GroupA. Both games are scheduled for Tuesday night,ensuring the action remains exciting. -SG
