Kuwait: In the presence of HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Red Warriors drew in the opening match against the host Kuwait.
The match was held on Saturday evening at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium, packed with more than 42,000 spectators.
The opening ceremony, which lasted 20 minutes, included artistic performances that told the story of the history of the Gulf Cup tournaments and highlighted the tournament’s long history and legacy.
The Oman national team opened the Gulf Cup competitions for the tenth time in their history since their first participation in Kuwait 50 years ago in the third edition, as well as playing for the seventh time against the host.
Although the Oman national team had a strong start, they lost control and wasted a counterattack in the second minute through Jameel al Yahmadi being considered offside.
In the 25th minute, Oman made a mistake outside the box, giving Kuwait an indirect free kick from a dangerous angle that was defended.
Kuwait’s striker Yousef Nasir secured the first goal through a header from an amazing cross in the 34th minute.
Kuwait’s striker Mohammed Daham missed a chance to score from a crossed ball, kicking it next to the goalpost in the 41st minute.
Issam al Subhi took advantage of Jameel al Yahmadi’s cross to score, leaving Kuwait's goalkeeper helpless in the 42nd minute.
Six minutes later, Oman missed a direct free kick opportunity from a mistake by Harib al Saadi, kicking it above the crossbar.
The Oman team were unlucky not to secure a second goal when the ball hit the crossbar twice, first from Ahmed al Khamisi and then Zahir al Aghbari, ending the first half with a 1-1 score, with Kuwait at a 52-per cent acquisition rate and Oman at 48 per cent.
The second half started with Abdulrahman al Mushefri replacing Zahir al Aghbari.
Omani captain Mohammed al Musallami received a yellow card in the 68th minute.
There was no danger until the 73rd minute when Mutaz Saleh, Abdullah Fawaz's replacement, missed a crossing that nearly hit the goalpost.
The second half ended with a positive tie of 1-1, with Oman at a 53-per cent acquisition rate and Kuwait at 47 per cent, with a yellow card issued to each team.
The Oman lineup included: Ibrahim al Mukhaini (goalkeeper), Mohammed al Musallami (C), Arshad al Alawi, Ahmed al Khamisi, Issam al Subhi, Zahir al Aghbari, Jameel al Yahmadi, Amjad al Harthi, Abdullah Fawaz, Ali al Busaidi and Harib al Saadi.
The match was officiated by Saudi international referee Khaled al Turais, assisted by Mohammed al Abkari as the first assistant, Abdulrahim al Shammari as the second assistant, and Bahraini Ammar Mahfouz as the fourth referee. The VAR referees were Abdullah al Shehri from Saudi Arabia and his assistant Ida Jumpei from Japan.
In the second leg of group A, UAE will meet Qatar in the late evening at the Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah Stadium.
The next match will be against Qatar on December 24, followed by a match against UAE on December 27, both matches at the Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah Stadium with 15,000 spectators at 6:25 (Oman time).
The Media Committee announced that more than 2,000 media personnel have registered to cover the championship, with expectations of an increase, in addition to 7 Gulf channels that will broadcast the event.
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