With the two teams assured of finishing in the top two spots, Al Jazeera held the relative advantage with 13 points to Kuwait SC’s 10. The hosts needed to better Al Jazeera’s 1-0 victory from the reverse fixture to top the group, while a one-goal-difference victory would also see them through as best runners-up.
Both sides started conservatively, with Kuwait SC the more adventurous of the two. Faisal Zayed tried his luck from distance but missed the target before Shereedah Al Shereedah forced the first save of the match from Al Jazeera goalkeeper Ahmad Abdelsattar 18 minutes in.
Omar Al Manasrah cut inside from the left and exchanged passes with Ahmed Saleh before firing from 30 yards out, but Al Jazeera’s first effort of the night missed the right post by inches.
After a goalless first half, the game finally came to life with 20 minutes to go on the clock. Fahad Al Hajeri found space inside the Al Jazeera box and met Abdullah Al Buraiki’s cross with a diving header at the far post to put Kuwait SC in the lead.
The Kuwaiti fans started celebrating as their side would be through to the next round with the result, but their celebrations were cut short four minutes later when Mahmoud Za’tra restored parity.
Mohanad Souliman applied pressure on the Kuwait SC defence to snatch the ball inside their penalty box and square for Za’tara who swept it home to make it 1-1.
As the game drew to a close, Abdullah Al Attar was brought down inside the box by Sami Al Sanea. Al Jazeera skipper Saleh stepped up and converted from the spot to win it for the away side.
The result means Al Jazeera end the group stage with 16 points, the highest for any team in the West Zone, and qualify to the Zonal Semi-Finals for the second year running, as Group B winners. Kuwait SC end their campaign in second place with ten points on their return to the competition after a three-year absence.
