Muscat: The Sur team achieved an important 1-0 victory over Al Shabab on Sunday at the Sur Sports Complex, marking the conclusion of the 10th round of the Omantel League. This win earned Sur three valuable points, raising their total to seven points and lifting them to 11th place, while Al Shabab remained in 10th place on goal difference, with the same points.
The match began cautiously, with both teams exchanging attacks in the opening minutes. Sur soon adopted a defensive approach, playing from the back and sending long balls toward the attacking line. Al Shabab, on the other hand, focused on building up between the midfield and forward lines, but their attempts posed no real threat to goalkeeper Salim al Dawoodi’s net.
Sur nearly opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Mohammed bin Nasser al Mukhaini received the ball inside the penalty area and shot powerfully, but it went slightly over the crossbar, keeping the score level. Al Shabab responded swiftly just three minutes later when Cosmos fired a strong shot, but it was directly within reach of Al Dawoodi, who handled it skilfully.
Sur continued their varied offensive attempts, utilising wing play and crosses, which led to a breakthrough in the 28th minute. Moath al Araimi delivered a precise cross into the penalty area, which Mahmoud al Alawi headed into the net, scoring the match's only goal. Following this, Al Shabab attempted to equalise but failed to breach Sur’s solid defence, ending the first half with Sur leading 1-0.
At the start of the second half, Al Shabab intensified their offensive pressure and increased the pace of their play, striving to reach Sur's goal and score an equaliser. The second half saw several genuine opportunities for Al Shabab, but the brilliance of Sur goalkeeper Salim al Dawoodi, along with the defence led by Omran al Farsi, kept them away from scoring. In the 80th minute, Sur came close to doubling their lead when substitute Dimitro broke free with only the Al Shabab goalkeeper to beat. However, he hesitated, allowing an Al Shabab defender to intervene and clear the ball before it crossed the goal line. Al Shabab continued their efforts to equalise, but Sur’s resilient players denied them any success.
AL NASR IN FOURTH SPOT
In another match, Al Nasr secured a 1-0 victory over Al Khabourah at the Rustaq Sports Complex. The winning goal came from Marwan Taib in the 54th minute, adding three vital points to Al Nasr's tally, bringing them to 14 points and keeping them in fourth place in the league standings.
Meanwhile, Al Khabourah's score remained at 10 points, leaving them in fifth place. This round was marked by a lack of goals, with only four goals scored across five matches.
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