Nebojsa Jovovic

AMMAN, Oct 3: Kuwait Club's Montenegrin coach, Nebojsa Jovovic, attributed his team's 1-2 loss to Al-Hussein Irbid to costly mistakes made by some players, marking the team's first defeat in the Asian Championship. The match took place at Amman International Stadium as part of the second round of Group 4 in the AFC Champions League 2. With this loss, Kuwait Club's tally remains at one point, while Al-Hussein Irbid earned its third point.

After the match, Jovovic noted that while his team initially took the lead and had several opportunities to extend its advantage, luck was not on their side, ultimately costing it in the second half. He acknowledged that "the players from Al-Hussein were more effective and aggressive," adding that his players made commendable efforts to equalize but were unsuccessful.

Jovovic emphasized the need for his team to learn from its mistakes ahead of future matches, stating, "There is still a chance to recover, and we must work hard to achieve this goal." The match also saw a change in Kuwait Club's lineup compared to its previous Zain Premier League matches, with Tunisian Yassin Al-Khenisi replacing Youssef Nasser and Ahmed Al-Dhafiri coming on for Mohammed Daham.

In an attempt to rectify the situation in the second half, Jovovic introduced Daham, Nasser, Ali Hussein, Faisal Zayed, and Ahmed Al-Zanki. However, the team's solutions were limited as Al-Hussein Irbid maintained control and pressured Kuwait Club. If not for the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Saud Al-Hoshan, the scoreline could have been more lopsided.

In another match within the same group, Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi defeated Shabab Al-Ahli from the Emirates 2-1. This victory allowed Nasaf to top the group with four points, while Al-Ahli fell to second place with three points, trailing on goal difference behind Al-Hussein Irbid, who now sits third. Meanwhile, Kuwait Club remains at the bottom of the standings with one point.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff