Dismal draw with Iran hands Kuwait West Asian Games gold medal (Photos)

Kuwaiti forward Faraj Lahib (L) vies for the ball with Iranian defender Said Lotfi

MEF- KUWAIT CITY, April 13: Iran gave their most inspiring performance against Kuwait in the final match of the West Asian Games football tournament on Friday, but that wasn't enough as both sides contented with a goalless draw, a result securing the hosts the gold medal.
Kuwait, who started the game with 7 out of maximum 9 points and leading Iran by two points, needed a draw to claim the gold medal, won for the first time by Iran on home soil back in 1997.
The hosts resorted to a very cautious scheme of play throughout the game, paving the way for the Iranians to claim the upper hand in midfield, yet the winners' heroes were their defensive trio of Nhair Al-Shemmari, Samer Al-Marta and Youssouf Al-Youha, who showed flexibility and resilience against the constant pressure exerted by Iran during most stages of the game.
Iran's Croat manager Branco Ivankovic started the game with his sparkling centre-forward Rasoul Khatibi on the bench, opting for the attacking pair of Nikonam and Fatimi, in an attempt to break down the defence by sending strikers with pace.
However, with time going by, it was up to the Croat manager to add giant striker Javad Kazemian after the interval, as Iran went on the rampage trying to break down the Kuwaiti tight defence with long balls in the opposite goalmouth, but the Kuwaitis held on till the final whstle to secure a priceless draw and the goal medal.
In the other fixture played on Friday, Syria and Qatar shared the spoils at 1-1 in a game that saw the Syrians going 1-0 up in the 43rd minute through Raja Nafee (his third goal in the competition), with Bilal Hamda levelling the scoreline in the 61st minute from a close-range effort.

Iran's line-up against Kuwait:

Ebrahim Mirzapour, Hamed Kavianpour (Rasul Khatibi), Javad Nekounam (Hamid Aziz-zadeh), Faraz Fatemi, Afshin Peyrovani
Mehdi Amir Abadi, Saeed Lotfi, Sahrab BakhtyariZadeh, Yahya GolMohammadi, Hossein kaabi, Reza Enayati (Hossein Bayatinia).

Final standings:
T------P-W-D-L-GF-GA-GD-Pts.
Kuwait-4-2-2-0-11-03-+8-8
Iran---4-1-3-0-05-04-+1-6
Syria--4-1-3-0-04-03-+1-6
Palest-4-1-2-1-06-10--6-4
Qatar--4-0-1-3-03-08--5-1

Iranian player Hussein Byatinia (R) fights for the ball with Kuwaiti player Samer El Martah (L)

Kuwaiti forward Faraj Lahib (L) fights for the ball against Iranian Hamed Kavianpor

Kuwaiti forward Faraj Lahib (R) tries to get the ball before Iranian defender Said Lotfi