MUSCAT: The road to the quarterfinals of the His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship was marked by thrilling victories. This Saturday, Ibri beat Al Rustaq 1-0 to book their spot while Al Nasr and Dhofar also advanced to the quarterfinals with wins in the Round of 16 matches.
In a gripping match held at Al Rustaq Sports Complex, Ibri secured their spot in the quarterfinals with a narrow 1-0 victory over Al Rustaq. The decisive goal was netted by Junior in the 89th minute, securing Ibri's position in the next stage of the competition.
AL NASR PREVAIL
Al Nasr Club displayed their dominance in a match against Al Taliya Club at Sur Sports Complex, earning a convincing 5-1 victory.
Al Nasr ended the first half with a clean lead, with Walid al Musallami scoring in the 40th minute.
In the second half, Al Nasr scored four more goals, starting with Muayad Awadh in the 49th minute. The third goal came from an error by Al Taliya’s Mazen al Alawi in the 81st minute.
Abdullah Zaheer scored the fourth goal in the 89th minute, and finally, the fifth goal came in the 93rd minute by Jasim al Noubi. Al Taliya’s only goal came from Hisham al Kalbani with a penalty kick in the second half.
DHOFAR WIN IN EXTRA-TIME
Dhofar triumphed in a closely contested match against Saham, winning 2-1 in extra-time at Al Saada Sports Complex.
Dhofar team ended the first half leading with a goal scored by Muath Salih.
At the beginning of the second half, Saham launched a strong offensive and managed to equalise through a goal by Mohammed al Balushi. Dhofar became more active in the final minutes and intensified their attacks, with Mohammed al Sa'im missing a precious opportunity to score a winning goal. However, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the extra-time, both teams ended the first extra period with a goalless draw, despite Dhofar having the upper hand. In the second extra period, Dhofar managed to score a second goal through substitute Khalid al Hajri, leading to Dhofar's victory with a score of 2-1 and their qualification to the quarterfinals.
According to the tournament draw, the quarterfinal matches will be as follows: Ibri will face Bahla, Dhofar will play against Oman Club and Fanja will compete against Al Nasr. The fourth match will see a heated competition between Al Nahda and Al Seeb, in a repeat of last season's final, in which Al Nahda emerged victorious with a 1-0 scoreline.
In the semifinals, the winner of Ibri vs Bahla will face the winner of Dhofar vs Oman club, and the winner of Al Nahda vs Al Seeb will face the victor of Fanja vs Al Nasr.
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