Al Annabi crashed out of the Khaleeji Zain 26 tournament from the group stage as Kuwait and Oman qualified to the semifinals against the odds.

Qatar bowed out of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup following a shocking 1-0 defeat against hosts Kuwait on Friday, marking a new low for a side struggling with injuries and a poor run of form.

Mohammed Muntari’s header in the eleventh minute of added injury time secured a consolation point for Al Annabi, who ended the tournament winless.

Young winger Mohammad Daham’s stunning free-kick in the second half had put the home team on the cusp of a historic win against the reigning Asian champions at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.

However, it was not to be for the Kuwaiti side, which had done well to defend without the ball. Yet, the late heartbreak would not last long as the draw was enough for Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side to qualify for the semi-finals. Celebrations started as players joined more than 57,000 fans home fans immediately after the late final whistle.

At the other end, the men in maroon were captured having a heated exchange with the referees over the last action of the game demanding a penalty for a tug on Akram Afif. Midfielder Assim Madibo ended up conceding a red card, to make the night worse for a side that had left it late to surge as recurring issues marred their performance yet again.

Head coach Luis Garcia had made six changes to the squad that lost 2-1 against Oman, going all out in attack with the inclusion of four forwards. Young striker Ahmed Al-Rawi joined Afif and Almoez Ali, alongside Yusuf Abdurisag in the final third of the pitch.

It was yet another night that saw Qatar’s backline change with the notable one being goalkeeper Salah Zakaria starting for suspended goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham.

Most importantly, it was a night marked by missed opportunities as Qatar’s forward line misfired again.

“I think we were not lucky in converting many of the opportunities we had, and the players did what they had to do,” Garcia said after the match.

In perhaps the first realistic chance of the game, which came after Al Annabi started positively, Al-Rawi failed to connect Abdullah Yousif’s low cross in the 35th minute.

Three minutes after the chance, the Afif released Ali through on goal but the Kuwaiti goalkeeper Khaled Al-Rashidi did well to close down the Al Duhail forward from a tight angle.

Abdurisag headed the ball inside Al-Rashidi’s goal in the resulting corner, yet the goal was disallowed for Tarek Salman’s obstruction on the Kuwaiti keeper.

Kuwait’s only chance of the first half saw Fahad Al-Hajeri attempt a shot from a distance, which Zakaria barely broke a sweat to collect.

It was in the first phase of the second half that the hosts rose up and eventually ended up taking the lead, exploiting the Qatari backline’s mistakes.

The writing had been on the wall as Daham had gotten chances in dangerous positions three times within four minutes — two of which ended up hitting the post.

First, it was Lucas Mendes’ failed header clearance in the 59th minute that gave Daham the opening, which the winger failed to keep on target. Then, the 24-year-old did well to take out two defenders, yet hit the post with the goalkeeper beaten as well a minute after the hour mark.

Qatar were lucky not to have conceded in the third time, however, as the dazzling winger’s shot powered past Zakaria to hit the far post, with no one in sight to clear the ball.

Although Muntari hit the target at the opposite end, the veteran forward’s goal was chalked off for offside while trying to meet Afif’s through ball in the 65th minute.

Daham’s moment finally arrived, that too in some style. The eventual player of the match placed a freekick from the edge of Qatar’s box into the lower corner of the far post to send the home supporters into pandemonium. Exploiting the lack of coordination between Mendes and Afif in the wall, Daham owned the moment as Zakaria failed to get a glove despite a full stretch.

The drama for the night was far from over. Qatar got close to scoring just a minute later as Ali failed to keep Muntari’s headed layoff on target and the resulting penalty shouts were not acknowledged by the VAR. Just eight minutes later, Ali would hit the post again.

With Qatar now needing two goals following Oman and UAE’s 1-1 stalemate in the other tie, Garcia’s side kept surging halfway into the nine minutes of added time.

The strike did come eventually, beyond the added minutes as Muntari converted Jassem Gaber’s looped long pass to grab a consolation goal — much like his strike against Senegal in 2022 which made him the first Qatari ever to score at the World Cup.

While a late penalty shout did add to the drama, it was not enough for a Qatari side that entered the tournament with hopes of plotting a new chapter with fresh faces and is now leaving with more unanswered questions.