Jeddah: Zidane Iqbal scored for Iraq in their dramatic three goals to two victory over Kuwait in a Gulf Cup group match in Jeddah on Saturday.
Iqbal broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute after receiving a pass from Ali Jasim inside the penalty area and firing the ball into the net. Kuwait equalised through a Yousef Nasser penalty in the 75th minute.
Saif Rasheed restored Iraq’s advantage in the 83rd minute before Nasser scored his second goal in the 90th minute. Karrar Nabeel then struck deep in stoppage time to secure the victory for Iraq.
The result took Iraq to four points from two Group A matches and improved their chances of progressing to the semi finals. Kuwait remained without a point and were eliminated from contention.
Iraq will face hosts Saudi Arabia in their final group match on Tuesday. The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi finals. The Arabian Gulf Cup is a regional competition contested by national teams from the Gulf.
Iqbal recently joined Scottish Premiership club Dundee United from Dutch side FC Utrecht on a two year contract. The 23 year old midfielder made his club debut against Falkirk earlier this month.
Born in Manchester to a Pakistani father and Iraqi mother, Iqbal represents Iraq internationally. He became the first footballer of Pakistani heritage to appear in the men’s FIFA World Cup when he played for Iraq at the 2026 tournament.
