Latest news with #AsianChallengeCup
Arab Times
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Al Arabi's quest for the Asian Challenge Cup continues against Al Seeb
KUWAIT CITY, March 11: Al Arabi will face Al Seeb of Oman at 9:30 pm at the Seeb National Stadium for the second leg of the Asian Challenge Cup quarter-finals (West Zone). In the same round, Turkmenistan's Arkadag will host India's East Bengal. Al Arabi, who won 1-0 in the first leg, is eager to secure a spot in the West Zone final and compete for the coveted Asian title, which has eluded the club. The team enters the match with confidence, bolstered by a strong season and their advantage from the first leg. To progress, Al Arabi only needs to win or draw. The team, which is also in the running for the Zain Premier League title, shares the top spot with Kuwait Club, with six rounds left in the tournament. Coach Nasser Al Shatti has a squad full of talented players across all positions, including key figures like Hassan Hamdan, Ali Khalaf, Jumaa Aboud, Hussein Ashkanani, Bandar Al Salamah, and Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor, along with foreign players Anabo Iwala and Christopher John from Nigeria, Hamza Khaba from Morocco, and Kamil Al Aswad from Bahrain. Al Arabi is also determined to redeem itself after being eliminated by Al Seeb in the 2022 AFC Cup. On the other hand, Al Seeb will look to capitalize on its home advantage and crowd support to take revenge on Al Arabi and knock it out of the tournament. To rally the fans, Al Seeb's president, Shihab bin Tariq, has offered to cover the cost of tickets. The winner of this two-legged tie will face the victor of the matchup between East Bengal and Arkadag, the latter making its AFC debut.
Arab Times
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Al-Fahaheel advances to Crown Prince Cup quarter-finals
KUWAIT CITY, March 9: Al-Fahaheel secured its spot in the quarter-finals of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Al-Shabab 2-0. With this victory, Al-Fahaheel joined Kuwait, Kazma, Salmiya, and Khaitan in the next round. Meanwhile, the match between Al-Jahra and Al-Jazeera was postponed, along with the clashes between Al-Arabi vs. Al-Sahel and Al-Qadsiya vs. Al-Nasr, due to Al-Arabi's participation in the Asian Challenge Cup and Al-Qadsiya's engagement in the Gulf Champions League. Al-Fahaheel now awaits the winner of the Al-Arabi vs. Al-Sahel match. The game started with an even contest between the two sides, but Al-Shabab suffered a setback when striker Ali Al-Dokhi exited due to injury. In the second half, Al-Fahaheel gradually gained control, with Omar Ali breaking the deadlock by converting a pass from Brazilian Vitor da Silva into the net. Capitalizing on Al-Shabab's defensive weaknesses, Vitor extended Al-Fahaheel's lead in the 75th minute. Despite Al-Shabab's efforts to mount a comeback, Al-Fahaheel maintained its dominance and sealed its place in the next round.
Arab Times
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
No surprises in the Crown Prince Cup
KUWAIT CITY, March 8: The start of the Crown Prince Cup saw no major surprises, with the "big teams" securing comfortable victories. Kuwait Club defeated Al-Tadamon 5-0, Al-Salmiya triumphed over Burgan 5-1, Kazma beat Al-Yarmouk 3-1, and Khaitan overcame Al-Shabab 4-1 on penalties (0-0 in regular time). The preliminary round also saw the postponement of the matches between Al-Jahra and Al-Jazeera, and Al-Arabi and Al-Sahel, as well as Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Nasr, due to Al-Arabi's participation in the Asian Challenge Cup and Al-Qadisiyah's involvement in the Gulf Champions League. **media[]** In the opening match, Kuwait Club ensured that Al-Tadamon wouldn't repeat its quarter-final elimination from last season, as it delivered a dominant 5-0 win to secure its spot in the quarter-finals, awaiting the winner of the Al-Jahra vs. Al-Jazeera match. Mohammed Daham stole the show, scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 19th, 52nd, and 77th minutes. Ahmed Al-Dhafiri added the fourth in the 80th minute, and Amr Abdel Fattah sealed the victory in the 90th minute. In the second match, Khaitan defeated Al-Sulaibikhat on penalties after a 0-0 draw, setting up a quarter-final clash with Kazma, who had earlier defeated Al-Yarmouk. Khaitan took the lead in the 8th minute with Khaled Shaman's goal, but Al-Yarmouk quickly responded with an equalizer. Mishaal Al-Shammari then added a second goal, and Hussein Ismail's strike in the 62nd minute gave Al-Yarmouk hope. However, Jarrah Naif's late goal in the 90+8th minute sealed the victory for Khaitan. Finally, Al-Salmiya had a tough time before eliminating Burgan. After conceding a penalty goal in the 20th minute, Al-Salmiya equalized with a penalty from Alex Lima in the 62nd minute. The match went to extra time, where Al-Salmiya netted four more goals through Fawaz Ayed, Bader Jamal, Moaz Al-Aseema, and Mohammed Al-Huwaidi to secure their place in the next round.
Arab Times
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Al-Salmiya eyes redemption against Burgan in Crown Prince Cup
KUWAIT CITY, March 6: The preliminary round of the Crown Prince Cup Championship continues today, Friday, with two key matchups. Kazma faces Yarmouk at Thamer Stadium at 9:30 pm, while Al-Salmiya takes on Burqan at Al-Sadaka and Al-Salam Stadium at the same time. The action extends into Saturday with a single clash between Fahaheel and Al-Shabab at Nasser Al-Osaimi Stadium, also at 9:30 pm. Meanwhile, several matches have been postponed, including Al-Jahra vs. Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabi vs. Al-Sahel, and Al-Qadisiya vs. Al-Nasr. The rescheduling is due to Al-Arabi's participation in the Asian Challenge Cup and Al-Qadisiya's involvement in the Gulf Champions League. Kazma and Yarmouk head into their showdown under similar circumstances, both struggling this season and facing relegation battles in the Zain Premier League. They are set for a crucial league clash at the end of March, followed by another meeting in the fourth-round league stage in April. The only previous encounter this season ended in Kazma's favor with a 2-0 victory. Kazma now looks to assert dominance and bounce back from inconsistent league form, while Yarmouk seeks a long-awaited first win after drawing six and losing ten of its 16 league matches. In the other fixture, Al-Salmiya eyes a spot in the quarter-finals at Burgan's expense. However, Croatian coach Ante Miša and his squad acknowledge the challenge ahead, having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burgan in December 2023. Burqan, delivering strong performances in the First Division League, aims to repeat that success against the Sky Blues. Fahaheel and Al-Shabab lock horns in their first meeting of the season. Their last encounter was in the 2024 Amir Cup, where Fahaheel cruised to a 4-1 victory. Both teams have been in solid form—Fahaheel has secured a Premier League spot, while Al-Shabab leads the Zain First Division League. Historically, their Crown Prince Cup encounters have been memorable. In the 2015-2016 edition, Al-Shabab triumphed 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Their most famous showdown came in the 2014-2015 quarter-finals, where a 2-2 draw led to a dramatic penalty shootout, ultimately won by Fahaheel (14-13).
Arab Times
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Al Arabi seeks to finish the job against Al Seeb in Muscat
KUWAIT CITY, March 6: The Al Arabi Club delegation is set to depart for Muscat, Oman, next Monday in preparation for their second-leg clash against Al Seeb in the Asian Challenge Cup quarter-finals. The match is scheduled for next Wednesday. In the first-leg encounter at Jaber Al Mubarak Stadium, Al Arabi secured a 1-0 victory thanks to Bandar Al Salamah's stoppage-time goal. Al Arabi head coach Nasser Al Shatti described the one-goal win as convincing, emphasizing the strength of Al Seeb, which features 10 international players. He also highlighted his team's performance despite the absence of a natural striker. Moroccan forward Hamza Khaba played the final 15 minutes of the match. Al Shatti praised his players' determination and expressed confidence in their ability to deliver a strong performance in Muscat. He noted that the tie remains open, but Al Arabi will fight to secure qualification and bring joy to their fans. Regarding officiating, Al Shatti welcomed the use of VAR technology in the Challenge Cup and other AFC tournaments. Al Seeb player Ahmed Al-Khamisi acknowledged Al Arabi's home advantage but remained hopeful that his team could turn the tie around in the return leg to advance to the semi-finals. The winner of the Al Arabi vs. Al Seeb clash will face either East Bengal (India), the 2024 Indian Super Cup champion, or Arkadag (Turkmenistan), who is making its debut in AFC competitions.
