Kuwait and Palestine Settle for Draw in Tense World Cup Qualifier

Kuwait City: In a thrilling encounter at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, the Kuwait national football team played to a 2-2 draw against the Palestinian team during the fourth round of Group B AFC Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. Both teams showed resilience and determination, resulting in a closely contested match that ended in a stalemate. According to Kuwait News Agency, the match started with intensity as Yousef Nasser scored the opening goal for Kuwait through a penalty in the 31st minute. However, the lead was short-lived as Palestinian player Wassam Abu-Ali leveled the score with another penalty just nine minutes later. The dynamics of the game changed in the second half when Palestinian player Camilio Saldana received his second yellow card, reducing the Palestinian team to ten men. Kuwait tried to leverage their numerical advantage, with Nasser scoring his second goal of the match in the 80th minute, seemingly securing the win for Kuwait. Despite being a player down, the Pal estinian team did not give up. They increased their offensive efforts and managed to equalize in the third minute of extra time through Zeid Qanbar's goal, which capped off the scoring and ended the match in a draw. This outcome leaves both teams in a challenging position in their group, with South Korea leading Group B with 10 points followed by Jordan with seven points. Oman and Kuwait are tied, each with three points, and Palestine remains at the bottom with two points.