Al-Qadsiya’s Jassim Al-Matar vies for the ball with an opponent.

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 6: Al-Qadsiya's Montenegrin coach, Zeljko Petrovic, credited his team’s 3-0 victory over Al-Arabi of Qatar in the Gulf Clubs Championship to its early goal in the first half. However, he noted that the performance was not "convincing at the start of the match."

The victory boosted Al-Qadsiya's semi-final hopes, keeping them in second place in Group Two with 8 points. On the other hand, Al-Arabi sits at the bottom with only 1 point and has been eliminated from the qualification race.

The second qualification spot is now a contest between Al-Qadsiya and Bahrain’s Al-Riffa, who is on 7 points after defeating Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia 2-1. Al-Ettifaq, with 12 points, had already secured first place and qualification before that match.

Al-Qadisiyah now faces a decisive match against Al-Ettifaq on February 18th in Al-Sharqiya, where a win will guarantee qualification, regardless of the outcome of the Al-Riffa vs Al-Arabi match on the same day. A draw will also suffice if Al-Riffa loses or draws, as long as Al-Riffa is defeated by Al-Arabi.

Petrovic expressed satisfaction with his players' performance, particularly praising the contribution of younger players such as Jassim Al-Matar, who scored the second goal, as well as Abdullah Al-Ghinman, Abdullah Mutawa, and Ahmed Bodi.

The coach also thanked the Al-Qadsiya supporters for their continued encouragement, highlighting their presence as a driving force behind the team's motivation. He stressed that the victory over Al-Arabi was a significant step toward qualifying for the semi-finals and that Al-Qadsiya aims to progress as far as possible in the Gulf Championship.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff