The match brings back memories of the two teams that dominated the Asian continent in the seventies and eighties, and their meeting was called the “Gulf Derby.”
After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the confrontations between the two teams stopped during the nineties, but they returned after Iraq returned to the Gulf Cup Championship in 2004.
Historic confrontations
Fans remember the classic encounter between the two teams in the semi-finals of the 1976 Asian Cup in Tehran, which ended in Kuwait’s favor with a score of 3-2.
The exciting match was decided by the legend of “Al-Azraq”, Fathi Kamil, in extra time, after a 2-2 draw in regular time.
As well as the famous “Gulf 5” match in Baghdad in 1979, where the Iraqi national team defeated Kuwait 3-1, thanks to the brilliant Falah Hassan and Hadi Ahmed, and was crowned with the Gulf Championship.
The match between Kuwait and Iraq in the qualifiers for the 1980 Moscow Olympics also remains in memory, when the Kuwaiti team won in an exciting manner with a score of 3-2.
Today’s meeting with a different taste
Despite the rich history and exciting confrontations, today’s match is not of the same quality, as Kuwait is experiencing a period of decline in football.
But the Kuwaiti team hopes to return to the decisive rounds of the qualifiers, with the enthusiasm of its fans, who will stand behind it at Jaber Al-Sabah Stadium, with a number of more than 40 thousand fans, to support it so that it defeats Iraq and regains the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup.
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