Kuwait clinched a timely morale boost ahead of January's Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup final on Sunday.

Walid Ali scored the only goal in the fourth minute of extra time.

The two-week tournament, which started on November 22, featured Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Oman and Qatar.

But it had taken place in the shadow of violence with Aden targetted by several bomb attacks ahead of the kick-off.

Twin explosions on October 11 killed three people and wounded many others at a sports centre in the Sheikh Othman area of Aden, and security forces thwarted another bomb attack in the city two weeks later.

On November 16, the separatist Southern Movement vowed to try to disrupt the event, urging its supporters to single out the match cities of Aden and Zinjibar, capital of neighbouring Abyan province.