Kuwait qualifies to Khaleeji 20 final after defeating Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Kuwait qualified to the final game of the Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations (Khaleeji) after defeating Iraq by penalty shootouts on Thursday as the game ended in a 2/2 draw in their semi-final encounter in the Yemeni city of Aden. Iraq had ended the first half with a 2/1 lead over Kuwait but the Kuwaitis managed to score an equalizer in the second half. Khaleeji 20 sees the participation of eight teams: Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman and Bahrain, and would run until December 5. Khaleeji, followed by the editions of the games (e.g. Khaleeji 17, Khaleeji 18, Khaleeji 19, etc), is a football (soccer) tournament currently held every two years rotating the host city every edition. Previously the competition was usually held on a biannual basis, but the history of the competition has also seen it held every 3, or even 4 years, due to political, or organizational problems. The Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations was founded at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico by Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The First Arabian Gulf Cup tournament took place in Bahrain in 1970, and was won by the Kuwaiti team. The 2009 Arabian Gulf Cup, Khaleeji 19, took place in Muscat, Oman, from 4 January to 17 January 2009 and was won by the Omanis for the first time in their history after beating regional leaders Saudi Arabia in a penalty shootout. AmR (S) 160