Iraq close to reaching Gulf Cup semi-finals with thrilling win over Kuwait

Iraq secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Kuwait in a fiery Gulf derby held at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, in the second round of Group A in Gulf Cup 27.

The first half ended in a goalless draw, before Zidane Iqbal opened the scoring for Iraq in the 51st minute, taking advantage of a remarkable penetration of the Kuwaiti defense.

The blue team equalized in the 74th minute through Yousef Nasser from a penalty, but Saif Rasheed restored the lead for the Lions of Mesopotamia with a second goal in the 82nd minute.

Yousef Nasser scored again to find the net for Kuwait for the second time in the 89th minute, equalizing for Kuwait, before Karar Nabeel snatched a last-gasp winner for Iraq in stoppage time.

Iraq has temporarily moved to the top of Group A with 4 points, while Kuwait remains at the bottom with no points, awaiting the match between Saudi Arabia and Oman to determine the qualification race.