(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Recently, the Oman National Football Team kicked off the year in spectacular fashion with a win over the UAE in the 2017 Gulf Cup of Nations final, held at Jaber International Stadium in Kuwait.
This was the first time in history that the team had won the biennial tournament away from home, having previously only claimed the title as the host nation in 2009.
Mazda, together with Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributor of Mazda vehicles in the sultanate, is proud to have been a driving force behind the team's performance as the Official Automotive Partner of the Oman Football Association (OFA) since 2014, and they sent a heartfelt congratulations to the team for their title-winning performance.
Immediately after the win, the nation erupted in celebration at venues across the country where the match was being broadcast and took to the streets with national flags, scarves and images of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, to celebrate.
When they arrived back in Muscat, the triumphant team also received a hero's welcome at an official welcome ceremony at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher, where thousands of elated fans had gathered to show their support and appreciation.
Oman's road to victory included a less-than-perfect start in their first Group A stage match when they went 1-0 down in their first match against the UAE. However, they soon got back on track when they defeated host nation Kuwait 1-0 in their second group stage match, and followed this up with a strong 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia to finish top of Group A. In Group B, Iraq finished top of the table, ahead of Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen.
In the knockout stage semi-finals, Oman beat Bahrain 1-0 to secure their place in the finals, while the UAE progressed through after defeating Iraq in a penalty shootout.
The finals then took place on the night of the January 6, and turned out to be a tensely fought affair for both Oman and the UAE. While Oman missed out on several scoring opportunities during the match, things turned in favour of the UAE when they were awarded a penalty with just a few minutes left on the clock.
However, 'The Red Warriors' goalkeeper, Faiz al Rusheidi made a match-winning save to keep Oman's winning hopes alive and after the final whistle, as well as after extra time, the score remained at 0-0 for both sides.
The match then came down to a penalty shoot-out where Faiz al Rusheidi again made a miraculous save, before Oman's star number 10 player, Mohsin al Khaldi, struck home the winning goal for the sultanate and the overall 5-4 victory over the UAE on penalties.
Just before departing for the tournament, four key players of the Oman National Football Team Abdulaziz al Muqbali, Ali al Busaidi, Mohammed al Muselemi and Ahmed Mubarak were present for the launch of Mazda's new-generation CX-5 crossover SUV at the Mazda showroom in Azaiba, Muscat. During the launch, the players took part in a meet and greet, photo shoot and autograph signing session with fans.
Riyadh Ali Sultan, general manager, Towell Auto Centre, who had fortuitously wished 'The Red Warriors' success during the tournament at the Mazda CX-5 launch, was delighted with the team's victory.
He said, 'The Oman National Team has brought footballing glory to this great nation. Mazda has been the official sponsor of the Oman Football Association since 2014, and has extended substantial support to the Oman National Team as well as the National League and community football initiatives undertaken by the association. With this in mind, we are incredibly proud of this historic achievement. The fact that the team played consistently well throughout the tournament and continued on to win the trophy is a true sign of their greatness. We are proud of all of the players as well as the coaches, management staff and the many thousands of fans that showed their support during the entire tournament.'
Sultan added, 'This win has also inspired Towell Auto Centre to continue with excellent service as we head off into the 2018 year. We're also very excited about what we'll be offering Oman-based customers with our new-generation range of Mazda vehicles.'
In 2018, Mazda models currently available in the sultanate through Towell Auto Centre include the Mazda 2, Mazda 3, and Mazda 6 models; the Mazda CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9 range of SUV crossovers as well as the MX-5 roadster and BT-50 PRO pick-up.
The vehicles feature groundbreaking, human-centric engineering technology, as the Japanese manufacturer describes it, unprecedented driving performance and interior and exterior styling.
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