Muscat: Al Nahda secured a well-deserved 3-1 victory over its host Sohar in a match held on Monday at Sohar Sports Complex, as part of the ninth round of the Omani Football League.
Al Nahda started strong and took the lead in the fourth minute with a header by Hussein al Shahri following a perfect cross from Mohammed al Ghafri. The team dominated the first half, displaying excellent field control and creating several dangerous opportunities against Sohar’s goalkeeper, Faiz al Rushaidi. On the other hand, Sohar struggled to find its rhythm and posed no real threat until the 28th minute, when Saud al Muqbali's shot went wide of Al Nahda’s goal.
Al Nahda continued its dominance in the second half, skillfully capitalising on set-pieces. The team doubled its lead in the 68th minute through Thani al Rushaidi, who finished smartly following a clever pass from Bilal Bin Saha off a free kick. Although Sohar attempted a comeback, the team only managed to reduce the deficit in the 82nd minute with a goal by Abdullah al Shibli, who tapped in a rebound after Al Nahda goalkeeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini saved a shot from Mohsin Jowhar. In extra time, Brazilian forward Alexander sealed the win for Al Nahda with a goal in the 94th minute, securing a valuable victory.
With this triumph, Al Nahda extended its unbeaten streak, reaching 28 points from eight matches, maintaining a perfect record and claiming the top spot in the league temporarily.
Sohar, on the other hand, remains with six points in eighth place, continuing to struggle this season. Meanwhile, Al Seeb’s match in this round was postponed due to the team’s participation in the Asian Challenge Cup.
The match between Al Nasr and Bahla ended in an exciting 1-1 draw at Al Saada Sports Complex.
Both teams began the game cautiously, but Al Nasr took the lead in the eighth minute through a goal by Mohammed al Sim. Bahla made several attempts to respond, but they failed to create significant danger against goalkeeper Ibrahim al Rajhi.
In the 16th minute, Hosni al Hinai unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Al Rajhi made an excellent save. Despite Bahla’s pressure, they could not find the equaliser in the first half, which ended with Al Nasr leading 1-0.
Bahla found the breakthrough early in the second half, with substitute Abdulsalam al Shukaili levelling the score in the 48th minute. He capitalised on a quick counterattack and struck a powerful shot into al Rajhi's net. Both teams continued to search for a winner, but their efforts lacked precision and organisation, leaving the match to conclude in a 1-1 draw.
Following this result, Al Nasr now has 11 points, placing them fourth in the league standings, while Bahla reached eight points, sitting in fifth place.
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