Kuwait SC came from behind twice to defeat Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC 4-3 in the AFC Challenge League final at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium last night.
Trailing 2-0 and 3-2, Kuwait SC roared before almost 44,000 fans to turn the tie around in extra time to lift the trophy, their fourth on the continental stage.
It was heartbreak for Cambodia’s Svay Rieng as they finished runners-up for the second successive year but can walk tall after giving their best.
Backed by their fans, Kuwait SC had looked to immediately seize control but were left shell-shocked when Svay Rieng took the lead in the third minute.
The home side failed to deal with Connor Shields’ long throw and the partial clearance fell nicely into the path of Tiago Alves, whose sweetly struck shot from outside the box saw the ball settling in the bottom left corner.
Confidence boosted, the Cambodian side started to dictate terms and went close in the sixth minute when an exchange of passes between Kwame Peprah and Alves saw the former attempting an overhead kick which went wide.
A desperate Kuwait SC keeper Khaled Al Rashidi urged his teammates to focus but it was to no avail as Svay Rieng doubled their advantage in the ninth minute with yet another effort from range.
With the Kuwait SC defence slow to close him down, Alves played the ball to Ryo Fujii who had the time and space to unleash a scorcher from some 25 yards out into the bottom right corner.
The fans made an attempt to rouse the Kuwait SC players but not only were they struggling to cope with Svay Rieng’s speedy forwards but were also unable to create chances, with the Cambodian side easily fending off their attacks.
The home side’s first clear look at goal finally came in the 27th minute but Mohammad Daham’s shot was blocked by Svay Rieng keeper Vireak Dara, with the ball then hoofed away by Cristian Dos Santos.
Svay Rieng, however, continued to hold the upperhand and were unfortunate to not score their third in the 36th minute, with Peprah sending Patrick Robson’s cross crashing against the post.
Kuwait SC thought they had a lifeline on the stroke of half time when Yassine Khennissi looked to have headed home Amr Abd El Fattah Ammouri’s corner, only for the cheering fans to discover he had found the side netting instead.
The home side, however, could celebrate three minutes into the second half but only after an anxious wait as Mehdi Barrahma’s tap in after his initial effort was blocked following Ammouri’s free-kick was ruled offside.
A VAR review, however, overruled the earlier decision and Kuwait SC were well and truly back in the game.
With the momentum having shifted in their favour, the three-time AFC Cup™ winners surged in search of the equaliser and found in the 56th minute when Ammouri collected a long clearance from deep in his own half, controlled the ball and laid it nicely for Mohamed Marhoon to right foot it home.
Svay Rieng, to their credit, took the double blow on the chin and tightened up defensively but were unable to breach the Kuwait SC defence as they had done in the first half.
Kuwait SC, on their part, couldn’t translate their attacking dominance into goals as the tie went into an additional 30 minutes.
The Cambodian side, however, got the perfect start in the first period of extra-time, going ahead in the 96th minute through yet another long range effort, this time from Cristian.
Kuwait SC’s response was equally emphatic, with Ammouri drawing them level three minutes later with his scorcher from outside the box.
A VAR review ruled out Yousef Al Sulaiman’s finish from close range in added time but the veteran forward made no mistake four minutes into the second period, nodding home Daham’s cross as Kuwait SC celebrated a remarkable win.
