Seeb take on Saham, Dhofar meet Musannah

MUSCAT, JAN 24 - Defending champions Dhofar will take on Al Musannah and Omantel League champions Seeb meet Saham in the His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship quarterfinal matches. In other quarterfinals, Al Nahda clash with Al Ittihad and Ibri play with Al Suwaiq. The draw was unveiled at the Oman Football Association (OFA) headquarters at the Seeb Stadium on Sunday. Zaid Mahmood al Abdullatif, Assistant General Manager at NBO, was the chief guest and picked the draw in presence of OFA officials. The quarterfinals will be held as home and away legs and the first-leg matches will be held on February 5,6. The return leg matches will take place on February 15 and 16. The two-leg semifinals are slated for February 26 and 27 (first leg) and March 8 and 9 (second leg). FIVE-TIME CHAMPS OUT On Friday, Al Ittihad upset four-time winners Al Arouba 5-4 in penalties after a 2-2 draw at extra time. Dhofar blanked Al Rustaq 2-0 and Seeb prevailed over five-time champions Al Nasr 4-2 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the last-16 knock-out matches. Three-time champions Al Suwaiq edged Sohar 2-1 in full time to advance to the last-eight stage. PENALTY SHOOT-OUT On Thursday, Saham moved to the last-8 round after beating Samayil 4-2 in penalty shoot-out at Sohar Sports Complex. The regulation time of the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Ibri knocked out four-time HM’s Cup winners Sur 6-5 in penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw in the regulation time at Sur Sports Complex. Al Musannah booked direct ticket to the next round of the showpiece championship as they defeated Oman club 2-1 in a thrilling encounter at Al Rustaq Sports Complex. Al Buraimi representatives Al Nahda secured a spot in the quarterfinal after thrashing Majees 3-0 at Al Buraimi Sports Complex.