Al-Hammami’s deflected strike gives Saudi Arabia Gulf Cup opener win over Kuwait

JEDDAH: It could not have ended in a better way for the Saudi fans at the Al-Ahli Stadium on Wednesday night. In the 73rd minute, Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat floated a long diagonal toward Hammam Al-Hammami, who cut inside to fire a shot toward goal for the game’s only strike — and it arrived just as the Saudi fans unveiled a tifo of a falcon at the center of the stands to mark the nation’s 96th founding anniversary. Al-Hammami’s shot deflected into the net off Kuwaiti center-back Yousef Al-Haqan — b