Oman snatched a point from hosts Iraq in the opening match of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq with a 0-0 draw on Friday night.
Iraq, hosting a major international tournament after 40 years, earlier opened the Gulf Cup with a spectacular opening ceremony that showcased the ancient culture and tradition of the country.
The ceremony began with an act titled ‘This is Basra’ to showcase Iraqi culture and heritage, welcoming visitors from across the Arab world.
The Basra stadium, known as the Trunk of the Palm, was filled to its 65,000 capacity.
In the Group A match, Oman gradually settled into the game after flurry of attacks by Iraq from the kickoff.
In the 86th minute, Iraq came close to score as the free kick hit the top bar and fell behind Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini to roll out for a corner.
Dhurgham Ismail’s dangerous left footed shot hit the bar from outside the box from a direct free kick.
In the 90th minute, Iraq made another attack but Ali Faez’s shot from the right side of the penalty box was blocked by the Omani defence after a cross from Dhurgham Ismail.
In the 89th minute, Moamel Abdulridha replaced Amir al Ammari for Iraq.
Oman’s Juma al Habsi was booked for a foul on Aymen Hussain in the 87th minute.
In the additional time, Oman coach Branko Ivankovic brought in defender Mohammed al Mussalmi for Al Mundhir al Alawi.
Oman replaced Arshad al Alawi with Mataz Saleh in the 84th minute after Arshad skied a shot after receiving a pass from Al Mundhir.
In the second-half, the match became more intense with both teams playing with purpose.
In the 61st minute, Iraq replaced Hussein Ali with Sherko Karim.
AGGRESSIVE APPROACH
From the kick-off itself, Iraq showed their intentions clear by pushing forward into the Omani penalty box.
In the third minute, Iraq had a shot on target but put away by Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini.
Al Mukhaini saved Hussein Jabbar’s right-footed shot from outside the box in the top left corner.
Oman slowly settled into the match and started moves after the 15 minutes.
Oman had their first move in the 17th minute after an array of attacks from hosts Iraq.
Striker Al Mundhir al Alawi was unable to make a shot at the target after the Iraq defender dispossessed him.
Iraq player Ibrahim Bayesh was shown a yellow card for a bad foul on Ahmed al Khamisi in the 38th minute.
The match turned rough with Amjad Attwan getting the second yellow card for Iraq after a foul on Ahmed al Kaabi.
Oman captain Harib al Saadi was also booked for arguing with Romanian referee Istvan Kovac.
In the 43rd minute, Iraq won a free kick on the right flank.
Aymen Hussain’s header under pressure from Omani defenders missed the target after a nice cross from Hussein Ammar.
Oman made some rapid moves in the additional time of the first half.
Arshad al Alawi’s shot from the right side of the box is high and wide after a pass from Essam al Subhi.
In the next minute, Zahir al Aghbari put a through ball to box but Al Mundher was caught offside.
The Iraqi defender blocked Issam al Subhi’s left-footed shot from the left side of the box after a header assist by Zahir al Aghbari to keep the score 0-0 at the half-time.
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