Al Wahda Survive Red Card Drama to Edge Al Kuwait
Al Wahda claimed a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Al Kuwait in the opening round of the AFC Cup group stage at Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday evening. The hosts moved to the top of the standings with three points from one game, while their visitors were left searching for a way back into the competition after suffering their first defeat of the campaign.
The match kicked off with pace. T. Y. Khenissi opened the scoring for Al Wahda in the fifth minute, and by then the visitors had already equalised through O. Gonzalez just three minutes later. M. Diarra restored the home side's lead in the 23rd minute from a well-worked move, and the visitors were forced into a change at the half-hour mark when M. Ghareeb came off. Three yellow cards flew in for Al Kuwait before the break, with M. Marhoon and M. Berrahma among those booked.
And here's the thing about this match — the turning point arrived in the 60th minute when M. Marhoon picked up his second yellow card and was sent off. Al Kuwait were reduced to ten men just as the visitors began to find their rhythm. S. Al Hoshan was also shown a yellow card in that same minute, compounding the trouble for the away side. Al Wahda made two changes in quick succession, bringing on M. Diarra and Jadsom at the 67th minute.
By then the game had taken on a different character entirely. Al Kuwait, despite being a man short, refused to fold. R. Rivas pulled one back in the 87th minute, and then came the moment that would define the evening. C. Benteke struck in stoppage time to level the scores at 2-2, sending the stadium into chaos. But Al Wahda had one more card to play. They held firm and found a winner through Khenissi's teammate — wait, no, Khenissi had been substituted at 57 minutes. The match ended 3-2 to the hosts after a frantic finish.
The statistics tell a story of dominance meeting defiance. Al Wahda controlled 64 per cent of possession and created seven big chances from 30 shots, though only 16 found the target. Al Kuwait managed just two shots all game — both on target — and their goalkeeper made 12 saves to keep them in contention. The visitors completed 214 passes compared to Al Wahda's 429, and while they were outclassed in possession, they showed remarkable resilience in transition.
The win moves Al Wahda to the top of Group 1 with three points from one game, while Al Kuwait sit fourth with none. The home side have already shown they can string together results, having won their previous five matches in all competitions. A tough evening for the visitors, who will need to regroup quickly if they're to have any chance of progression from this stage.
