PHNOM PENH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Host Cambodia suffered a 5-0 defeat to Kuwait on Sunday night in its final Group G match of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers at the Olympic Stadium.
Kuwait opened the scoring in the 12th minute through a sharp strike from midfielder Youssef Allanqawi. Captain Omar Alazemi then doubled the lead in the 26th minute before attacker Mesfer Aladwani netted a third in the 40th to give Kuwait a commanding halftime advantage.
Kuwait maintained its momentum in the second half. Midfielder Abdullah Al Qarzaei converted a penalty in the 55th minute to make it 4-0, before Aladwani completed his brace in the 64th to seal the victory.
Despite the deficit, Cambodia continued to push for a consolation goal but remained scoreless until the final whistle.
Cambodia hosted all Group G matches from August 31 to September 6, with the group also featuring Japan, Yemen and Kuwait.
With the qualifiers concluded, Cambodia finished its campaign with one win and two defeats. It previously beat Yemen 2-1 on Monday before suffering an 8-0 loss to Japan on Thursday.
According to the AFC, a total of 31 teams from across Asia competed across eight groups in the qualifiers. The eight group winners and seven best second-placed teams will secure places in the finals, joining host China for the 43rd edition of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup next year. ■
