MUSCAT, DEC 19
Dark horses Sohar upset 12-time winners Ahli Sidab in penalties 4-2 to claim the 53rd His Majesty’s Cup hockey crown in a pulsating final at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Tuesday night.
Ahmed al Noufali put Sohar in the lead in the 47th minute from a penalty corner which was cancelled out by a last-gasp strike from a rebound by Ahli Sidab captain Rashad al Fazari.
In the penalty shoot-out, Ahli Sidab brothers Khalid al Shuabi and Ammar al Shuabi both missed their attempts.
Sohar were determined to clinch their second HM Cup as they scored from all their four attempts with Argentine player Martin and Indian player Sanjay among scorers.
Chief guest Sayyid Saud bin Hilal al Busaidy, Governor of Muscat, gave away the trophies in presence of Dr Marwan bin Juma al Juma, Chairman of Oman Hockey Association, and other dignitaries.
Ahli Sidab started off the match with a nice build-up which earned them the first penalty corner of the final. Ahli Sidab were not sharp in taking the penalty corner that was easily defended by the agile Sohar defence.
In the sixth minute, Sohar organised a good move and got their first penalty corner. Ahli Sidab goalkeeper Ibrahim al Farsi was on his task to evade a good shot from the Sohar player.
In the 10th minute, Ahli Sidab captain Rashad al Fazari gave a good long pass to his team-mate who couldn’t handle it the first time with only the goalkeeper to beat.
In the 13th minute, Sohar defence stood strong to thwart a well-organised attack by Ahli Sidab. In the same minute, Ahli Sidab got their second penalty corner but misfired the shot.
In the opening minute of the second quarter, Sohar players had a close call with Ahli Sidab goalkeeper Ibrahim al Farsi but couldn’t find the target. The counter-attack by Ahli Sidab was padded away by an agile Sohar goalkeeper Fahad al Noufali.
In the next minute, Sohar pushed ahead through their Argentine player Martin but Ahli Sidab goalkeeper Ibrahim al Farsi stood strong under the bar. Further attacks in the quarter by both teams lacked precision as they went 0-0 into the break.
STUNNING EQUALISER
In the second half, Sohar started with some dangerous moves that threatened the Ahli Sidab goalmouth. They earned a penalty corner and got another after the shot hit an Ahli Sidab player’s leg.
Ahmed al Noufali struck the crucial goal for Sohar in the 47th minute from their third penalty corner of the match.
In the 48th minute, Ahli Sidab got back-to-back penalty corners but could not utilise both as shots missed the target.
Another penalty corner in the 51st minute just went beyond Rashad al Fazari’s reach to keep the Sohar slate clean.
When it seemed that Sohar would go away with the 1-0 win, Rashad came running in to strike the equaliser after a frantic last-minute attempt by Ahli Sidab.
FIH referees Khamis al Balushi and Shaik Javed from India officiated the final.
In the third place play-off on Monday, defending champions Al Nasr edged a fighting Salalah 3-2 in a Dhofar Governorate derby.
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