This match was billed as a battle between the tournament's top scorer Ahmed Saad Al Saad and giant Kuwaiti goalkeeper Yousef Alf Adhli. It was Alf Adhli who won the first round, tipping over a deflected shot. Al Saad hit back immediately, firing in with a long-range effort as Qatar took a 4-3 lead.
The game remained tight with both goalkeepers looking solid, but disaster struck for Qatar mid-way through the first half when captain Abdulla Saad Al Saad was sent off. Without their influential leader, Qatar looked shaken and Kuwait took advantage, forging a two-goal lead that they took into half time at 13-11.
In Al Gharrafa Indoor Hall, the electric atmosphere intensified further after the break when Qatar's Samir Hashim Ali was sent off for an apparent push. It looked harsh on Ali and the crowd showed their displeasure by throwing missiles onto the court.
Meshal Alenezi then stamped his authority on the game, scoring seven goals in a 10-minute spell as Kuwait increased their lead. With only three strikes in the match, the goals had dried up for Al Saad at the worst possible time, but five goals from Mohammad Walid Ghazal gave Qatar hope. It wasn't enough, however, and the final whistle sparked joyous celebrations from the Kuwaitis.
After the game, Markovic NikoIaj said, "This tournament was tough, especially for us because most of our team members are amateurs. But we have prepared well overall and worked hard together to achieve the gold medal.
"Our matches have always been at 14:00 and our players were playing without having lunch or training prior to the matches. But they showed from match to match that they really wanted the gold. We are definitely the best team in Asia. We have come first in all four competitions we participated in this year. We have played against IR Iran twice, Japan and now Qatar and beaten them all."
Qatar's Abdulla Saad Al Saad, whose threat was nullified by Kuwait, said, "I am surprised with the referee's decisions. I am happy for Kuwait. Some bad decisions provoked our players, but we didn't lose control."
15th Asian Games, Doha 2006
Posted December 16th, 2006 by COBA
