MUSCAT, MAY 9
Salalah powerhouse Dhofar and Al Buraimi giants Al Nahda are in their best shape to clash for the title of the 2023-2024 His Majesty’s Cup football final which will take place in Khasab Sports Complex for the first time on Friday. The match will kick off at 7:30 pm under auspices of Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy, Governor of Musandam, who will award the trophy and medals to the winners in presence of top dignitaries and officials.
Both the clubs will eye to capture the coveted cup and end the season on a victorious note after their hopes were dashed in the domestic League while Al Nahda bowed out against Al Ahed in the AFC Cup West Zone final and missing the AFC Cup final in Muscat.
For Dhofar, the triumph will guarantee their 11th title in the history as they have won the titles in 1977, 1980,1981, 1990,1999, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2020 and 2021. Al Nahda will work hard to defend their title as they had snatched a historic victory against Al Seeb in last season to lift the prestigious cup and the win will ensure their second successive title.
The Salalah-based team secured a spot in the final after beating Bahla in the semifinal on a 1-0 aggregate score while Al Nahda confirmed their presence in the summit clash by defeating Al Nasr 2-1 as aggregate result.
GLAD TO PLAY IN KHASAB
Speaking on the eve of the final, Dhofar assistant coach Mohammed al Sayyed said, “ We are very glad to be in Khasab and I would like to thank the organisers for the warm welcome and great hospitality. The mental preparations for this final is more important than the physical and technical sides. I am confident on my players and they will deliver their top efforts towards ending the game on the positive note. I have a mixture of players in my team including experienced and young faces.”
“The match is going to be very tough between both teams. Dhofar have the experience in this competition as they won the title many times,” he said.
“There are some injured players including Ali Salim and Moutaz Saleh and both of them are experienced players. This impact on the team but we have worked well to overcome the injuries," he added.
Dhofar player Qasim Said, affirmed on the difficulty of the encounter. “Despite the current situation of the team, we are ready for this game. The target is to end the match on a winning note. We will work hard for our fans,” he said.
Al Nahda head coach Hamad al Azzani affirmed that they will target of winning the title. “It is great idea to host the major sporting events across the Sultanate of Oman. We are very happy to be in Khasab. Both teams have an equal chances for the title. Al Nahda will enter the match as title holders while Dhofar as the most winning team in this competition,” he said.
“Position of Dhofar in the domestic league does not link with their attendance in HM Cup final. The calculations are different in league and HM Cup competitions. Al Nahda in this season were competing in different events and now our focus is on the HM Cup title,” he added.
Al Nahda captain Harib al Saadi said they are focused to put in their best effort. "The team arrived to the final match after completing many matches in different stages of the event. This is very critical competition and our focus is to win the HM Cup,” he told a press conference.
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