BENGALURU: Mubarak Al Faneni scored twice and powered Kuwait to a dominant 4-0 victory over Pakistan in the ongoing South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship on Saturday.
Kuwait started their second fixture of the SAFF Championship campaign on a high as the side took an early lead just 10 minutes into the game as Hasan Al Enezi fired the opener after a patient build-up from the right flank.
Al Enezi received a fine cross on the far post and made a gentle touch before burying the ball into the net.
Mubarak Al Faneni then doubled Kuwait’s lead in the 17th minute by tapping the ball in after Alrashidi had plenty of room to run into on the break before aiding the goalscorer as Pakistan’s defence was exposed.
The green shirts then made desperate efforts to push their way back into the game after being put under immense pressure but failed to breach Kuwait’s defence.
Kuwait then put on a cagey show as the contest moved closer to the break and held possession without making any further attempts.
As the game further advanced, Kuwait finally dropped their plan of playing defensively and made a move towards Pakistan’s post after a swift build-up from the midfield.
Mubarak Al Faneni was once again there for Kuwait and he dodged the charging Pakistan goalkeeper by chipping the ball over his head and into the net in the dying minutes of the first half.
Kuwait went into the break with a convincing 3-0 lead over Pakistan, who were in dire need to produce a contrasting outcome in the second half.
However, the second half also followed the same pattern as Kuwait once again looked more threatening with their possession and attempts.
Kuwait soon converted their dominance into the fourth goal after Eid Khaled Al Rashedi made no mistake in guiding the ball into the net in the 69th minute.
This was Pakistan’s straight second defeat in the ongoing SAFF Championship and came two days after they suffered a 0-4 loss at the hands of India.
On the contrary, Kuwait registered their second consecutive win in the tournament and firm their hold on top of Group A standings.
In today’s second fixture, hosts India will lock horns with Nepal. A victory for India would propel them and invitee Kuwait into the semi-finals of the event while Nepal and Pakistan would crash out.