The 3rd Arabian Gulf Cup (Arabic: دورة كأس الخليج العربي الثالثة) was the third edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup. The tournament was held in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and was won by two-time defending champions and hosts Kuwait. The tournament took place between 15 and 29 March 1974.[1] All matches were played at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium.
Oman took part in the competition for the first time. Kuwait defeated Saudi Arabia 4–0 in the final to win their third title in a row. The victory meant that Kuwait had earned the privilege of keeping the trophy permanently.
The number of teams in this edition increased from five to six and the format of the competition changed. Instead of one round-robin group, the six nations were split into two groups of three. The top two from each group qualified for the semi-finals with each group winner facing the other group's runner-up. The winners of the semi-finals faced each other in the final while the defeated semi-finalists played the third-place play-off.
Teams
| Team | Previous appearances in tournament[A] |
|---|---|
 Bahrain |
2 (1970, 1972) |
 Kuwait (host) |
2 (1970, 1972) |
 Oman |
0 (debut) |
 Qatar |
2 (1970, 1972) |
 Saudi Arabia |
2 (1970, 1972) |
 United Arab Emirates |
1 (1972) |
- ^ Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
Venues
| Kuwait City | |
|---|---|
| Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium | |
| Capacity: 15,000 | |
|
Match officials
| Country | Referee |
|---|---|
| Bahrain
|
Ali Kamenjah |
 England
|
Matthews |
 Iraq
|
Sami Naji |
 Italy
|
Riccardo Lattanzi |
| Kuwait
|
Abdulrahman Al-Bakr |
| Jaber Al-Jalahemah | |
| Abdulsalam Al-Yaqout | |
| Saudi Arabia
|
Ghazi Kayal |
Preliminary round
| Kuwait | 2–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
Yaqoub  15'Al-Mula 57' |
Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Mughnem 30' Bakhit 57' |
Report |
First round
All times are local, AST (UTC+3).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait (H)
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Qatar
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 2 | |
| 3 | Oman
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0 |
| Kuwait | 5–0 | Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Yaqoub 8' (pen.) Al-Mula 50', 60', 67'Kameel 85' |
Report |
| Kuwait | 1–0 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Yaqoub 13' |
Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 2 | |
| 3 | Bahrain
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4–0 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Salem 41' Sultan 57', 90'Rabee 78' |
Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 4–1 | Bahrain |
|---|---|---|
| Ghurab 2' Asiri 46'Al-Turki 47'Al-Mughnem 81' |
Report | Ali 33' |
| Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Ghurab 15' Al-Mughnem 30' |
Report |
Knockout stage
All times are local, AST (UTC+3).
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 26 March – Kuwait City | ||||||
| Kuwait | 6 | |||||
| 29 March – Kuwait City | ||||||
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | |||||
| Kuwait | 4 | |||||
| 27 March – Kuwait City | ||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | |||||
| Qatar | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 29 March – Kuwait City | ||||||
| Qatar (pen.) | 1 (3) | |||||
| United Arab Emirates | 1 (0) | |||||
Semi-finals
| Kuwait | 6–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Yaqoub 10', 30', 47' Shoaib 12'Mohammed 46'Kameel 67' |
Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 3–1 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulmatloub 4' Ghurab 32'Al-Mughnem 60' |
Report | Ghanim 51' |
Third place play-off
| Qatar | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Ali 64' |
Report | Boshanain 24' |
| Penalties | ||
| 3–0 | ||
Final
Winners
| 3rd Arabian Gulf Cup winners |
|---|
 Kuwait Third title |
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 45 goals scored in 13 matches, for an average of 3.46 goals per match.
6 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Awards
- Player of the Tournament[2]
- Top Scorer[2]
- Jasem Yaqoub (6 goals)
- Goalkeeper of the Tournament[2]
References
- ^ "كأس الخليج 3 لكرة القدم". Archived from the original on 2007-01-20.
- ^ a b c "اللوحة الشرفية للمنتخبات ابطال دورات الخليج واصحاب الالقاب".
