Yemen U20 defeated Kuwait U20 3-1 in the second group stage of the AFC U20 Championship on Wednesday. The result shifts momentum in a group where both sides have shown mixed form over recent fixtures. Kuwait had opened their campaign with a heavy defeat before bouncing back with a narrow win, while Yemen's record includes draws and losses.
Kuwait took the lead through M. Al-Dain in the twenty-fourth minute. The goal gave the hosts a cushion they would not maintain, as Yemen responded with urgency. By then, the visitors had already established a pattern of patience in build-up play that would soon pay dividends.
Yemen equalised just after the hour mark with a goal from M. Al-Adwani. The response came almost immediately, with Al-Dain himself scoring Yemen's second in the seventy-first minute. The incident went to review briefly, but the goal stood after a quick check. Kuwait were not yet reduced to ten, but they were certainly under pressure.
Z. Gehad added a third for Yemen in the eighty-fifth minute, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback. The visitors saw the game out with composure after their early flurry of chances. The clean-sheet run came to an end for Kuwait, who had kept one in their previous outing against the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait's recent results show a side finding their feet after a difficult opening. They lost 4-0 to Japan and 1-0 to both Iraq and Jordan, but beat the UAE 1-0 and drew 0-0 with them in a separate fixture. To be fair, the history between them adds an edge to every encounter, but this match was decided by moments of quality.
Yemen's form has been harder to read. They lost 2-1 to Cambodia and 1-0 to India, drew with India again, held Indonesia to a goalless draw, but suffered a 6-0 hammering against Iran. And here's the thing — consistency remains elusive, but they showed character to take all three points here.
The result leaves Yemen with more points than their opponents, though the full standings will depend on other group results. Kuwait's goal difference will need improvement if they are to progress. The old head settled them down in the second half, but the damage had already been done.