(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
|
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Issam Al Sabhi scored a brace as Oman stunned two-time Asian champions Qatar 2-1 in the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup at Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Stadium in Sulaibikhat yesterday.
Later in Kuwait City, hosts Kuwait netted a late winner to defeat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in another Group A match.
The victory propelled Oman to the top of Group A with four points, followed by Kuwait, also on four points. A draw in their next games would be enough for both sides to book spots in the semi-finals. With just one point each, Qatar and the UAE now face an uphill battle to reach the semi-finals after yesterday's defeats.
Qatar took an early lead in the second minute when Almoez Ali latched onto Ibrahim Al Hasan's clever through ball to score. However, Oman responded brilliantly, equalising in the 20th minute as Al Sabhi converted a penalty after being brought down by Lucas Mendes inside the box.
Al Sabhi completed his brace in the 52nd minute, firing into the roof of the net from close range after a precise low cross from Ali Al Busaidi on the left.
Despite Qatar's relentless efforts to find an equaliser, including a strike from substitute Abdelrehman Moustafa that rattled the post, Oman's solid defence held firm.
“We started well and scored a goal early in the match, but after that we retreated a bit, were hasty and couldn't keep the ball,” Qatar coach Luis Garcia said after the defeat.
“In the second half, we were the better side despite being behind in the score,” the Spanish coach added.“We pressed in the last minutes and created many easy chances, but we were not lucky to score and come out with at least a draw.”
Qatar will face Kuwait in their last Group A match on Friday, desperately needing a win.
Meanwhile, Oman coach Rasheed Jaber was delighted with the victory.
“We achieved an important and difficult victory that we were in dire need of and this victory was achieved against a strong team that has good players and is the champion of the Asian Cup in the past two editions,” he said.
“Oman players made a great effort in this match, both defensively and offensively, by exploiting the opportunities in front of the goal in the best way,” the coach added.
Ibrahim's clever through ball set up an early goal for Qatar with Almoez outpacing a defender and chipping past Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini from close range.
Oman responded strongly, dominating possession after the setback but struggling to capitalise in the final third. Their persistence paid off when Mendes, attempting to block a ball, brought down Al Sabhi in the box. The referee immediately awarded a penalty, which Al Sabhi calmly converted sending Meshaal Barsham the wrong way.
Qatar suffered a blow as Sultan Brake was stretchered off with an injury, replaced by Homam Al Amin just after the half-hour mark.
Oman missed a golden chance to take the lead when Abdulrahman Al Mushaifri fired wide off a fine delivery from Al Mandhar Al Alawi, leaving the match level at the break.
The pace intensified after the restart, with Homam delivering a pinpoint cross that Almoez missed, failing to connect with an attempted close-range header.
Oman, however, made no mistake when Al Busaidi's low cross from the left found Al Sabhi, who gave his side the lead.
Almoez nearly leveled the score in the 68th minute, but his header, following a cross from Moustafa, narrowly missed the target.
With eight minutes left, Homam fired the ball high from a good position, Moustafa hit the left post and Oman's defence parried Qatar's efforts in the seven minutes of stoppage time to earn valuable points.
At Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait rallied to beat the UAE. Caio Canedo secured a 5th-minute lead for the UAE with Mohammad Daham scoring the equaliser in the 16th minute.
After UAE were reduced to 10 men following a red card to Kouame Autonne in the 86th minute, Moath Al Enezi scored the winner with just one minute remaining in regulation time.
The UAE will face Oman in their last group match on Friday.
Results (Group A)
Qatar 1-2 Oman
Kuwait 2-1 UAE
Today's matches (Group B)
5:25pm: Yemen vs Saudi Arabia
8:30pm: Bahrain vs Iraq
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