Reasons behind Iraq's dramatic victory over Kuwait in Gulf Cup 27

Iraq's national team finished their second match in the Gulf Cup 27 held in Saudi Arabia with a dramatic victory over their Kuwaiti counterparts, winning 3-2 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in the second round of Group A.

Iraq's national team, known as the Black Falcons, saw Zidan Iqbal, Saif Rashid, and Karrar Nabil each score a hat-trick in the 51st, 83rd, and 90+9 minutes, respectively. Meanwhile, Youssef Nasser netted a brace for the Kuwaiti team in the 75th and 90th minutes.

With this victory, Iraq has raised its tally to 4 points at the top of Group A temporarily, while Kuwait remains without points in fourth place behind Oman.

Iraq's coach Graham Arnold entered the match with the following lineup: Ahmed Basal in goal, with defenders Youssef Al-Imam, Zaid Tahseen, Mirkhass Doski, and Ibrahim Bayesh. In midfield were Zidane Iqbal, Amir Al-Amari, Ali Jassim, Mohammed Qasim, and Ahmed Qasim, while Saif Rashid led the attack. Arnold changed his playing style compared to the previous match, shifting from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-5-1.

The match saw the participation of players who made their international debut for the Iraq national team. Despite the sensitivity of the encounter, Arnold decided to give the new elements a chance. The duo of Youssef Al-Imam and Haidar Abdul Karim made their first international appearances, with the former being one of the stars of the match in defense, while the latter had a good performance, with most of his passes being precise. He also maintained balance in midfield and contributed to linking defense and attack thanks to his correct positioning.

Iraq's players entered the match with great enthusiasm and intensity, resulting in numerous challenges, some of which were unnecessary, particularly in the first 30 minutes that saw significant competitiveness. Iraq received 4 yellow cards, 3 of which were in the first half hour alone, indicating the desire of the Lions of Mesopotamia to regain possession and not waste more opportunities as they did against Oman.

Zidan Iqbal was undoubtedly one of the stars of the match, scoring one of Iraq's goals and being a lively presence in midfield. Most of the attacks from the Lions of Mesopotamia originated from him, and the Dundee United player caused significant trouble for Kuwait's midfield and defense despite not being in full physical readiness and having undergone individual training and physiotherapy sessions during the two training units leading up to the match.

Karrar Nabil was named Man of the Match thanks to his stunning late goal that secured a vital victory for Iraq. He came on in the 75th minute to replace Ahmed Qasim, coinciding with the substitution of Zidane Iqbal. However, he maintained the strength of the midfield and was impressive in passing, linking play, shooting, and even in intercepting balls and increasing pressure. Thus, the match against Kuwait marked a new beginning for him in the Black Falcons' jersey.