JEDDAH, 5 January 2004 — Saudi Arabia failed to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack in the 16th Gulf Cup Soccer Championships when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kuwait in Kuwait City yesterday.

Saudi Arabia stayed atop with eight points with this draw, they have allowed a an outside chance to Bahrain, Oman and Qatar to make a late run for the trophy.

Kuwait, who experts had predicted at the outset of the event would be a contender, needed to win to stay in touch. But the match, touted at the start of the tourney as the one that would have decided the eventual destination of the trophy, failed to rise to expectations and Saudi Arabia for all their domination had to settle for a point.

Though the teams started cautiously it was Kuwait who made the impact early when in the sixth minute they rattled the Saudi defense. A nice cross from Abdul Reda to Bashar Abdullah saw the latter’s effort go tantalizingly past the far post.

This proved a wakeup call for the Saudis who regrouped and their midfield employing a close watch on Abdullah and Badr Al-Mutawa. This tactics paid dividends as the Kuwait attacks dried up, except for the sporadic efforts.

Two close efforts within three minutes emphasized the Saudi control of the game. First striker Yaser Al-Qahtani’s 17th minute header came dangerously close. And then Muhammad flubbed a fine center from Reda with a soaring drive over the bar.

The Saudis continued to attack, with Ibraheem Suwaeed and Al-Qahtani testing Kuwaiti goalkeeper Kankooni at will. But these missed opportunities did not reflect on the scoreline that was 0-0 at the break.

In the second half, the Saudis came out more determined but again the script of missed chances was enacted to the core. But the twist came in the 68th minute when Talal Al-Meshal scored.

The Saudis’ joy was however short-lived as the referee canceled the goal for offside. And two minutes later when Al-Meshal’s pass was blasted over the goal by Nur the tale of missed opportunities looked to be the order of the day.

But that was not to be for in the 75th minute Ibraheem Suwaeed effected a nice cross to the unguarded Muhammad Al-Shalhoub, whose strong grounder beat the Kuwaiti goalkeeper. Saudi Arabia, energized by the goal, continued to defend but slackened a bit in the end to allow a Kuwaiti equalizer.

In the 88th minute Abdulkodoos received a nice ball inside the penalty box he took advantage of clear space in front of the goal to shoot home.

Hilal to Meet Ittifaq in Finals of Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup

Yasser Al-Maeena adds, Al-Hilal proved that they are the team to beat in the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Soccer Tournament when they went on a 4-1 romp against Al-Taie in Hail yesterday. Hilal, by virtue of their thumping victory now face Al-Ittifaq in the finals.

Ittifaq proved too good against Al-Shabab in Dammam, racking up an easy 2-0 verdict on Saturday. A brace by Saleh Al-Bashir enabled Ittifaq to clinch victory.

Yesterday it was Hilal’s turn to scintillate and Muhammad Al-Anbar’s hat trick was the feature of the day. After a period of sustained domination, Hilal forged ahead in the 26th minute when Abdul Mutrif redirected a superb cross into the goal.

Hilal relaxed their midfield grip briefly allowing Taie a period of territorial advantage. And Taie struck for the leveler. Eleven minutes after their goal had fallen, Taie came on level terms through a fine Monie Nonja equalizer.

Hilal retook midfield control from then on and struck twice within the space of four minutes on the either side of the break with both the goals being scored by Al-Anbar.

Hilal continuted to apply the pressure and secured two penalties in quick succession in the second half, only to see both being wasted.

But Al-Anbar struck true from the spot with the third penalty that came their way in the 70th minute to round off the tally.

Rivaldo Agent Denies Striker’s Move to Saudi Arabia

In Rio de Janeiro, the agent of Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo has dismissed reports that the 31-year-old forward has joined Saudi Arabia’s local soccer club Al -Ittihad.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) reported yesterday that Rivaldo had signed a six-month contract, but his agent Carlos Arini denied reports of a move.

He told the Estado news agency that Rivaldo wanted to stay in Brazil and was likely to sign for either Brazilian champions Cruzeiro or newly-promoted Botafogo in the next few days.

“The soap opera is close to a finish. But Rivaldo will be playing in Brazil at the start of 2004. He’s not changing his plans because of more money,” Arini said.