Gulf Cup 27: Oman Advances via Draw, Saudi Arabia Tops Group with Full Points

Oman reached the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup “Gulf 27” after the draw conducted by the competitions committee of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Association on Tuesday placed them ahead of Iraq, as both teams were level on all tiebreakers in Group A.

The Iraqi national team had previously lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0, while the Omani national team defeated Kuwait 3-1.

Following the conclusion of the second match, Omani players celebrated their qualification for the semi-finals, but their joy was postponed as a draw was held to determine which of them would advance alongside the Iraqi national team.

Both teams finished their matches level on head-to-head results (1-1), goal difference, and fair play points, prompting the organizing committee to conduct a draw about two hours later to decide the qualifier.

Khaled Al-Maqren, head of the competitions committee at the Gulf Football Union, told the media after the draw: “The organizing committee met, reviewed the results, and explained the draw mechanism to the representatives of the Iraqi and Omani national teams.”

Saudi Arabia topped the standings with nine points thanks to their third consecutive victory, with goals from Abdullah Al-Salem (54th minute) and Abdullah Al-Hamdani (68th minute).

Greek coach Yorgos Donis said in his post-match press conference: “The national team faced some problems dealing with set pieces at the beginning of the tournament, but it improved in this aspect during the second half against Iraq, and benefited from them better in the last two matches.”

He added, “Focus is one of the most important demands of the technical staff since the start of the tournament, whether in executing tactical instructions or adhering to rules on and off the field.”

He continued, “The work does not stop at a single match; rather, it aims to build a consistent team that continuously earns the trust of the fans.”

Although the first half did not meet expectations, the Saudi Green Team, which made extensive changes to its lineup, was the better side for most of the match.

Saudi attacks initially lacked danger until Al-Salem rose to head a cross he played beside the post (18th minute), followed by Mohammed Al-Shammas with a powerful shot that narrowly hit the crossbar (24th minute).

Australian coach Graham Arnold made an involuntary change for Iraq, bringing on Ibrahim Baish for defender Mustafa Saadoun one minute before the end of the first half.

Al-Salem opened the scoring by exploiting a set piece played inside the penalty area, capitalizing on a defensive error involving the defense and goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, who let the ball go into the net (54th minute).

Donis brought on Saleh Al-Shehri and Firas Al-Brikan for Al-Salem and Sultan Al-Mandash, while Iraq made three changes, with Ayman Hussein, Ahmed Yahya, and Zaidan Iqbal replacing Hassan Abdul-Karim, Karar Nabil, and Ahmed Qasim.

From a quick counterattack, Al-Hamdani added Saudi Arabia’s second goal with a rebound and a quick pass, which he fired powerfully into the net (68th minute).

Iraq had a chance to reduce the deficit, but Abdulilah Al-Amri managed to clear the ball for a corner (79th minute), before Ali Jasim struck a powerful shot that passed just wide of the post (81st minute).

Oman overturned their deficit against Kuwait to win 3-1.

Oman fell behind to a goal by Shuaib Al-Khaldi, who headed in a follow-up from a corner kick (6th minute).

However, Nasser Al-Rouaihi equalized following a counterattack, finishing a close-range shot into the Kuwaiti net (65th minute).

Al-Rouaihi added a second for Oman with a powerful, curling shot (81st minute), before Musab Al-Shaqsi secured the victory with a header from a corner kick (84th minute).

Omani player Abdul Salam Al-Shakili told the press after the match: “Our goal was to achieve victory, regardless of calculations and statistics.”