Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ras Al Khaimah: Ahmed Heider has termed their 1-1 draw with the UAE in the opening match in Group A of the AFC U-19 Championship 2012 as a fair result after Kuwait bounced back from a goal down to claim a point against the dominant hosts.
Striker Saif Rashid put the Emiratis 1-0 up in the 34th minute but Kuwait hit back with a brilliant left-foot finish of Mohammed Al Fahad to rescue a point in first-half stoppage time.
The UAE had the lion's share of possession but their inability to convert their chances cost them two points although Kuwait coach Heider (pictured) stressed that the result was due to his game plan and strategy.
"We are talking about football not marathon so the point won counts," Heider told reporters after the match.
"We were up against a very strong team having home advantage so we knew beforehand that we had to defend throughout.
"I am very happy with my defenders, they were fantastic throughout. The UAE were on fire in the beginning but we came back strong and had some chances later to seal all three points. I must admit it's a fair result and we are still in the competition," he added.
Heider's counterpart Eid Baroot was hoping to kick-off the UAE's campaign with a bang but missed chances restricted the tournament hosts to a point with group stage matches against Asian powerhouses Iran and Japan still to come.
"I am very disappointed with the result, it's clearly two points lost," said Baroot.
"We could have scored a couple of goals early on but the boys lost concentration and we paid for that lapse of concentration," he said.
"Kuwait relied on the long ball and counter-attack and were successful to salvage a point but we must work on our finishing."
UAE will take on Iran while Kuwait face Japan on Monday.