Muscat, OCT 31
Al Khabourah defeated their hosts Al Rustaq 2-0 at the Rustaq Sports Complex, marking the conclusion of the ninth round of the Omantel League.
The first half began cautiously on both sides, as each team avoided taking risks in attack, focusing on strengthening their defence. Nevertheless, Al Khabourah were the more proactive team, pressing Al Rustaq’s goal from the opening minutes. In the 21st minute, Al Khabourah had their great chance when the ball reached Noah al Araimi, who launched a powerful shot that narrowly missed the crossbar of Al Rustaq's goal.
Al Khabourah continued their intense attempts to score the opening goal, as demonstrated by the strategic positioning of their players on the field edges and the short passes used to break through Al Rustaq’s defence. Under continuous pressure from Al Khabourah, the 34th minute saw the first goal, with Hisham al Balti taking advantage of open space outside the penalty area to unleash a strong shot that found the back of Al Rustaq’s net. The first half ended with Al Khabourah leading 1-0, as the visiting team controlled possession and maintained dominance over the game.
Al Rustaq entered the second half with intentions to equalise, pressing Al Khabourah’s defence and attempting to find openings through flanks and long passes. However, Al Rustaq’s offensive performance lacked conviction, as the team struggled with poor coordination among their players. Al Khabourah’s organised defence effectively thwarted most of Al Rustaq’s attacking attempts. Meanwhile, Al Khabourah continued to impose their style, exploiting Al Rustaq's defensive lapses on several occasions. In the 68th minute, Al Khabourah landed their second blow when Rashid al Hosani scored a second goal with a powerful strike from outside the area that Al Rustaq’s goalkeeper couldn’t handle, doubling the score and placing Al Rustaq in a difficult position.
As the pressure mounted, Al Rustaq's coach made several substitutions in hopes of energising the attack and reducing the deficit, but the team's efforts fell short of posing a real threat to Al Khabourah’s goal. In the final minutes, the score remained unchanged despite Al Rustaq’s repeated attempts, which failed to create significant danger, leading the referee to blow the final whistle, announcing Al Khabourah's victory by 2-0.
With this win, Al Khabourah raised their tally to 10 points, climbing to fifth place in the league standings, while Al Rustaq remained with 4 points in 11th place, second from the bottom.
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