AFC Cup:”I’m not happy with our performance”, says Wahda coach Mohammad

Kuwait City: Qadsia SC of Kuwait took sole possession of first place in Group C of the AFC Cup with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Syrian side Al Wahda at the Peace & Friendship Stadium on Tuesday.

First-half goals by Saif Al Hashan and Omar Al Suma put the Emir’s Cup winners on top and Michel Rossetto added a third before Osama Omari grabbed a late consolation for Al Wahda.

The Kuwaiti side could even afford to miss a penalty as they moved up to seven points after three games, two ahead of Iraqi side Al Shorta, who played out a goalless draw with Bahrain’s Al Hidd on Tuesday, reports the ARFC correspondent.

“We went into the match with great determination to win and we created a lot of pressure and created several chances in the first half,” said Qadsia coach Mohammad Ebrahim.

“We successfully scored from our chances and we were good in the attack.

“The win is important for us but it is still early to talk about the next round as we are still only halfway through the group stage and there are still three matches to play, which means that we should maintain our concentration to remain on top of the group and advance to the next stage.”

Al Wahda entered the match in last place without any points after losing both of their previous games 3-1. However they began the game brightly only to be let down by a goalkeeper error in the 19th minute.

Al Suma fired a powerful free kick directly at Mahmoud Karkar but the Al Wahda goalkeeper was unable to hold on to the ball and spilled it right at the feet of Al Hashan who tucked the ball into the net from point blank range.

Al Hashan then turned provided in the 38th minute, sending over a corner from the right that was met by Al Suma, who guided a header in off the left upright.

Qadsia could have put the game to bed before half-time as they were awarded a penalty after Ali Dyab very nearly took off the shirt of Al Suma in the Al Wahda box. Al Suma took the spot kick himself but sent the ball soaring over the crossbar.

Qadsia continued to dominate in the second half and they were rewarded with a third goal in the 85th minute after Al Hashan’s free-kick from the right flank picked out substitute Rossetto who sent a looping header into the far corner.

There was still time though for Al Wahda to grab a consolation as Qadsia goalkeeper Nawaf Al Khaldi punched clear a cross from Mohamad Sharif to Osama Omari who fired a powerful low shot into the bottom corner of the net.

That was not enough though to appease Al Wahda coach Raafat Mohammad.

“I’m not happy with our performance especially in the first half when we were so weak and lost concentration which gave the chance for our opponents to grab the upper hand and score two goals,” he said.

“In the second period we tried our best to fix the mistakes and organise the defense but Qadsia played with quick counter attacks which made our task harder to make a comeback in the match.”

M.D