Muscat: Al Nahda secured an important 1-0 victory over Al Nasr in their opening match of the Omantel League at the Al Buraimi Sports Complex. The beginning of the match witnessed caution from both teams, with relative control by Al Nahda team, which relied on playing from the flanks and attempts to penetrate from the depth. Al Nahda striker Nasser al Rawahi excelled during this period, threatening Al Nasr goal with two dangerous shots in the 12th and 14th minutes, the first of which passed by the post and the second went over the crossbar.
On the other hand, Al Nasr got a direct free kick in the 17th minute, which Al Nahda goalkeeper Abdullah al Maamari brilliantly saved and the defence cleared it. Despite Al Nahda's continuous attempts to reach Al Nasr's goal, Al Nasr's defence, led by goalkeeper Ibrahim al Rajhi, was able to successfully confront the attacks, so the first half ended in a goalless draw.
At the beginning of the second half, Al Nahda began to put high pressure on Al Nasr's defence in search of the lead goal, which was achieved after only three minutes from the start of the second half through Bader al Alawi, who fired a powerful shot that settled in Al Nasr's net. After the goal, Al Nasr players tried to advance forward to equalise the score, but their attempts did not yield anything, and the match ended with Al Nahda winning by one goal to none.
SEEB OVERWHELM IBRI
Defending champions Seeb cruised to a 3-1 win over Ibri at the Seeb Sports Stadium. Title-holders Seeb started the match with a high-pressure style, and was able to open the scoring early in the second minute through a wonderful cross from Ali al Busaidi, which Abdulrahman al Mushaifri put into Ibri's net. Seeb continued their offensive style, while Ibri players retreated to defence. The opportunity to strengthen the score for Seeb came in the 13th minute when they obtained a penalty kick, which was successfully executed by Abdulaziz al Muqbali, doubling the score in favour of his team. Despite the continuation of Seeb's successive attacks, the first half ended with Seeb leading 2-0.
In the second half, Seeb maintained the same offensive approach, and obtained an early penalty kick, but Abdulaziz al Muqbali was unable to score it. Ibri Club tried to come back into the match and succeeded in reducing the difference in the 62nd minute through a corner kick executed by Al Moatasem al Yaqoubi, which Yousef al Khalili brilliantly put into the goal, as he rose above everyone and headed it powerfully into the net of Seeb.
Ibri's attempts did not stop there, as the team tried to adjust the result by putting pressure on the Seeb defence, but the experience of the Seeb players and their organised defence prevented scoring more goals.
In the last minutes of the match, Seeb returned to confirm their control over the match. From a quick counterattack in the 87th minute, Ali al Busaidi managed to score the third goal after a distinctive pass from Jameel al Yahmadi, concluding the match with a valuable and deserved victory for Seeb with a score of 3-1.
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