Aqla with the technical staff of Kuwait Club.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 21: Kuwait Club’s Adel Aqla described the ongoing rivalry between the team and Al-Arabi for the Zain Premier League title as a "great" competition that has been unfolding for the past four seasons. After the twelfth round, both teams are tied for the league lead, each with 33 points.

Aqla commented on its recent 2-1 victory over Khaitan, acknowledging that it was far from easy. "It was a tough match, and we knew it wouldn’t be simple," he said. "Khaitan played well, and it fought hard throughout. It sat back and defended, then capitalized on a mistake to score its only goal through our player, Reda Hani, who had a standout performance."

He went on to explain that mistakes are inevitable in football, but the three points were secured after Khaitan’s Emmanuel Mbah was penalized for handling the ball inside the penalty area in the dying moments of the game.

Meanwhile, Khaitan Club’s Mohammed Al-Mulla praised his team’s efforts despite the loss. He acknowledged that his players gave a strong performance and deserved at least a draw. Al-Mulla expressed hope that the team would maintain this level of play and spirit in their upcoming matches to secure better results.

In other developments, Al-Qadsiya has resumed negotiations with Bahraini defender Walid Al-Hayam, after an earlier pursuit of Omani defender Thani bin Gharib fell through due to Al-Nahda Club's high asking price. Al-Qadsiya has been struggling with defensive issues, particularly in its recent match against Al-Arabi, where Montenegrin coach Zeljko Petrovic had to deploy midfielder Al-Mahdi Barahma in a defensive role due to injuries to key defenders Khaled Ibrahim, Khaled Sabah, and Faisal Al-Shatti, as well as the departure of Brazilian Igor Rossi.

Al-Qadisiyah is working to strengthen its squad ahead of its upcoming semi-final match against Al-Arabi in the Super Cup. However, with a significant points gap of 13 between them and the league leaders, Kuwait and Al-Arabi, it has realistically fallen out of contention for the league title.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff