Oman achieve vital win against Asian champions: Jaber

Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber attributed the upset win against Qatar to focus and great desire to triumph over the Asian champions in the second round of the 26th Gulf Cup. The Oman team achieved a challenging 2-1 victory over Qatar, raising their qualification chances for the semifinals. Omani fans, numbering 4,552 at Jaber Al Mubarak Stadium on Thursday, cheered on the Red Warriors as the players turned a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 victory over Qatar. Omani striker Issam al Subhi, named the best player of the match, scored twice—first in the 19th minute from a penalty kick and later in the 52nd minute from an unmarked situation. Qatar were the first to score, with striker Almoez Ali finding the net past goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini in the second minute. Rasheed said in the press conference after the match, “Our team achieved the most important victory against one of the strongest teams in Asia.” “The victory boosted Oman's chances of qualifying for the semifinals. We are happy with the return of striker Issam al Subhi to his true level, and his feeling that he is an important player for the team.” “That criticism is present everywhere, and we deal with each match according to its circumstances. We hope that the Oman team will complete their journey until the end,” he concluded. Qatar's Spanish head coach, Luis Garcia, said the loss was tough: 'The loss was tough and difficult for us because we were able to at least draw from the important match in the second round. But we will always work on correcting and improving the level in the future.' 'I am satisfied with what the players presented despite the loss against Oman. We played our way and tried to come out with a positive result, but this is the state of football; there is winning and losing,' he added.

​​​​​​​KUWAIT EDGE UAE

On the other leg of Group A, Kuwait team secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against the UAE team on Tuesday evening. The UAE took an early lead, scoring within the first five minutes of the match through Caio Canedo. However, Kuwait quickly responded with an equaliser through Mohammed Daham. The second half was marked by intense action, including a red card for an Emirati player. Capitalising on a defensive error by the UAE, Kuwait netted the decisive winning goal by Muath al Enzi late in the match. After the second round of the group stage, Oman topped the group along with hosts Kuwait, with 4 points each. Qatar and the UAE remain stuck at a single point each. For the record, this was Oman’s 24th victory out of 114 matches in Gulf Cup tournaments, and the Red Warriors reached their 91st goal. All teams in Group A still have chances to qualify for the semifinal. Oman must win or draw against the UAE on Friday at 6:30 pm (Oman time). The match will take place at Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Stadium. At the same time, Kuwait will take on Qatar at Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium. Omani players received five yellow cards in the last two matches. Mohammed al Musalmi received one against Kuwait. In the match against Qatar, yellow cards were issued to Abdulrahman al Mushaifri, Al Mundhir al Alawi, Ibrahim al Mukhaini, and Moataz Saleh Abd Rabbo. The Oman Football Association (OFA) has filed an official protest to the Arabian Gulf Cup Federation against the Iraqi referee, Muhannad Qasim, alleging his unsuccessful management of the match, which resulted in many cards for Omani players. The OFA has also demanded the cancellation of Ibrahim al Mukhaini’s yellow card, received for delaying the game while transporting injured Issam al Subhi. On the sidelines of ‘Khaleeji Zain,’ the Arabian Gulf Cup Federation will hold a general meeting on Thursday. The meeting will include voting on the host country for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup Championship. Saudi Arabia’s bid is the closest to being approved to host the Gulf event. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the proposal to invite one or two teams from outside the Gulf countries to participate in the tournament.