Muscat: Salalah giants Dhofar moved closer to the final of the His Majesty’s Football Cup championship after they defeated Al Rustaq 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinal first leg.
The second leg match will take place at Al Rustaq Sports Complex on March 2 and it is expected to be a tough clash despite Dhofar’s triumph.
At Al Saada Stadium, the ten times winners made a positive step ahead of the second leg match and towards their presence in the concluding game of the coveted cup to defend the title.
Omar al Malki was the star of the match as he broke the goalless draw of the first half with a strong headed goal in the beginning of the second half.
The same player added another goal for the hosts in the 52nd minute and after five minutes from the opening goal. The consolation goal for Al Rustaq was struck by AbdulRahman al Ghassani.
Both teams began the encounter seeking an opening goal. Many movements were made in the half but all the attempts were not succeeding in goals as the first half ended with a goalless draw.
Coach Rasheed Jaber’s men entered the second half with different tactics and focus. It was a strong start from the hosts as Omar al Malki managed to open the account through stroking the opening goal with a header after a good assist from Abdullah Fawaz in the 46th minute.
Four minutes later, the referee Omar al Yaqoobi decided a penalty for the hosts as Qasim Said fell down in the box area after a tough interface from Ammar al Rushaidi.
Al Malki converted the penalty into a goal at Ammar al Rushaidi’s net in the 51st minute. Also, the referee showed a yellow card for the Al Rustaq custodian.
After the goal, the opponent pressed hard to reduce the gap and after many chances, Abdulrahman al Ghassani registered the first goal for Al Rustaq in a header in the 82nd minute.
Later, the Rustaq players tried to equalize but the referee ended the game with Dhofar leading 2-1.
Seeb will face Al Nasr in the other semifinal match of His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship on Monday. The match will start at 5:45 pm at Al Saada Stadium.
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