BASRA: Players vie for the ball during a friendly match between Kuwait and Iraq at the Jidhe Al-Nakhlah Stadium on Wednesday. - KUNA

BASRA: Kuwait's national football team lost 1-2 to Iraq in an international friendly on Wednesday as part of preparations for the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023. The game took place at the Jidhe Al-Nakhlah Stadium in Basra.

The Iraqi team had the better start, but the Kuwaiti team was able to score the first goal of the match through Eid Al-Rashidi in the 24th minute of the game. In the beginning of the second half, Kuwait wasted many chances to score. In the last 10 minutes, Iraq's Mohammad Al-Dawoud was able to equalize due to lack of communication among Kuwaiti defenders. In the 88th minute, Ayman Hussain scored the winning goal for Iraq through the penalty spot.

The game was organized after an invitation from Iraqi Sports Minister Adnan Darjal to evaluate Iraq's readiness to host the upcoming 25th Gulf Cup in Basra. Kuwait will participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Group B with Australia, Jordan, China, Taiwan and Nepal, while Iraq is in Group C, which includes Bahrain, Iran, Hong Kong and Cambodia. - KUNA