Kuala Lumpur: Between 2009 and 2012, each of the AFC Cup finals featured a team from Kuwait, resulting in two wins and two runners-up spots for the Gulf nation.
The country’s dominance would reach a peak in 2013 when two-time winners and defending champions Kuwait SC faced Qadsia SC in an all-Kuwait title showdown.
Group stage navigated
Holders Kuwait made light work of Group A as their top scorer from 2012, Brazilian Rogerinho, netted in each of their first four matches as wins against Bahrain’s Riffa and Lebanon’s Safa, before the double over Regar TadAZ of Tajikistan confirmed their passage to the knockout rounds with two games to spare.
With qualification already secured, Kuwait would lose their final two group stage matches to Riffa and Safa, although they had already shown that they were the team to beat in the 2013 AFC Cup.
Runners-up in 2010, Qadsia got off to a slower start than their compatriots, but followed up an opening-day defeat to Iraq’s Al Shorta with back-to-back 3-0 victories over Jordan’s Al Ramtha and Tajikistan’s Ravshan Kulob.
A 3-1 win in Tajikistan made it nine points from nine and Omar Al Soma then scored his first of the campaign in a 2-0 victory against Al Shorta, before qualification from Group D was confirmed with a 2-2 home draw against Al Ramtha.
Iraq offers stern opposition
Qadsia breezed through their last 16 clash with Oman’s Fanja 4-0 after goals from Musaed Neda, Al Soma and Bader Al Mutawa. However, after Tunisian Chadi Hammami put Kuwait in front against Iraq’s Duhok, a 1-1 draw took their Round of 16 game to penalties.
A year earlier Hussain Ali Baba had missed from 12 yards in the last 16 – as it would happen, against Qadsia – but this time the defender made no mistake by scoring the decisive spotkick to win 4-1 on penalties.
Kuwait went on to have no problems against the Maldives’ New Radiant in the last eight as another Tunisian, Issam Jemaa, scored seven in a 12-2 aggregate win. But Qadsia’s scoreless home draw with Al Shorta left their second leg in the balance.
Neda’s first-half brace seemingly had them on the way to the semi-finals before the Iraqi side netted twice in the second half, but, needing one more to advance, Al Shorta were unable to find a third and exited on away goals.
Unstoppable Kuwaitis
Kuwait continued their recent fine form into the semi-finals as Jemaa, Waleed Ali and Hammami had the defending champions four up before the 50-minute mark against East Bengal, but the Indian side pulled two back to leave themselves with a glimmer of hope.
However, in front of 50,000 spectators in Kolkota, any chance of a comeback was snuffed out by the interval as Rogerinho and Abdulhadi Khamis netted shortly before half-time as the game ultimately ended 3-0 and 7-2 on aggregate.
Two-time winners Al Faisaly of Jordan were next up for Qadsia, who won the first leg of the semi-final 2-1 thanks to goals from Nasser Al Qahtani and Neda.
Al Faisaly’s away goal did, though, leave the tie firmly in the balance and it stayed that way until Saleh Al Sheikh’s (pictured above) fabulous effort in the 77th minute secured a 1-0 win on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
A hat-trick of titles
The inaugural AFC Cup final in 2004 saw Syrian sides Al Jaish and Al Wahda face off, while the 2007 edition featured Jordanian teams Shabab Al Ordon and Al Faisaly.
The 10th final would also see two clubs from the same country go head to head as continental powerhouse Kuwait SC took on their domestic rivals Qadsia SC for the right to be crowned AFC Cup champions.
Qadsia’s Al Soma struck the woodwork in the first half at Al Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, before Rogerinho fired a blistering 30-yard effort into the back of the net seven minutes after the restart to give Kuwait the lead.
The Brazilian then turned provider to allow Jemaa (pictured above, left) to tap home on 64 minutes and, with no further goals, Kuwait retained their title to win an unprecedented third AFC Cup.
Jemaa’s 16 goals saw the striker finish as top scorer with the joint second-highest tally the tournament has ever seen.
Qadsia, meanwhile, would not have to wait much longer to lift the trophy for the first time.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com