By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait "Zain" Football league kicked off its new (2022-2023) season on Thursday with high expectations. The newly elected Kuwait Football Association (KFA) Board of Directors introduced a new format along with new incentives to bring a spark to the league. In the first match, the popular team Al-Arabi managed to secure a 1-1 draw with their host Nasr at Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium. The match started slowly and players seemed to be lost in the first 20 minutes. Al-Arabi were playing without a clear plan and that gave Nasr players a counter-attack opportunity.

At the 31st minute of the match, Nasr's veteran player Fahad Al-Enezi, who substituted Lafi Ammash made an excellent cross that was headed by Nigerian teammate Denis into the back of the net. The second half saw improvement in Al-Arabi's performance. At the 56th minute, Al-Arabi's Nigerian player Kingsly Eido equalized when he received a pass from Abdallah Ammar.

The 74th minute saw Al-Hadi squander an opportunity. He was alone in front of the goal post but acted slowly - allowing Nasr defenders to catch up with him as they send the ball away. The real excitement was at the end of the match when referee Abdallah Jamali awarded Nasr a penalty. Player Mohammad Deham kicked, and the goalkeeper Abdelghafour was able to block it. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the second match of the league, Salmiya managed to get out with a win as Mubarak Al-Funaini scored at the very end of the first half. Most of players were relying on their individual skills. The second half was characterized by missed opportunities on both sides. Salmiya's Brazilian Alex Lima had a direct shot at goal, following a foul. Tadhamon's Nigerian Moses Arokoma missed to score and the match ended.

In the third match of the first round, Qadisiya squeezed past Al-Sahel 3-2. The winning goal came at the 96th minute of match. Qadisiya's Udai Al-Saifi opened the score in the 18th -minute when he received a pass from Eid Al-Rasfidi. In the 23rd minute, Qadisiya's Bader Al-Mutawa surprised Al-Sahel's goal keeper with a shot that ended in the back of the net. Al-Sahel cut Qadisiya's lead in half when they were awarded a penalty shot seven minutes into the added time of the first half.

The performance of Al-Sahel improved significantly which gave Qadisiya a hard time and it was in the 85th-minute that French player Tarek Ajjon equalized. Qadisiya was awarded a free kick not far from the goal that was taken by Patrick Malo (from Burkina Fasso) in the 96th-minute who scored the winning goal.

The fourth match saw the title holders Kuwait unexpectedly beaten by the newly elevated club Al-Jahra by 1-0. The goal was scored from the penalty spot in the 19th minute. Kuwait's defender Sami Al-Sane saw red when he tackled Jahra's Talal Al-Ajmi.