MUSCAT: Saudi Arabia defeated defending champions Iraq by 3-1 to secure slot in the semifinals of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup at Jaber Al Ahmed International Stadium in Kuwait City on Saturday night. The triumph took Saudi Arabia to the sixth point to end as second in Group B, while Iraq remained on three points in third place to end their campaign in the Gulf Cup.
Saudi Arabia will meet Oman on Tuesday in the first semifinal.
Saudi Arabia, who entered the match with two chances for draw and win, got off to a strong start seeking an early goal. In the 14th minute, Saudi’s Musab al Juwayr was very close to score as he managed to enter the danger area of Iraq and sent a strong ball but it touched the outside net.
Later, Iraq players responded through creating pressure towards Saudi’s goalie Mohammed al Owais. Iraqi forward Ayman Hussain was near to score as he received a cross within the penalty area but Saudi’s defender Ali al Bulaihi cleared the ball for a corner in the 22nd minute.
After half an hour in the first half, Iraq pressed hard to take the lead and Mohanad Ali al Shamari was very close as he played through Saudi’s defenders and managed to reach to face the Saudi’s goalie but Al Bulaihi saved the ball to outside the corner area. The first half ended with a goalless draw.
In the 54th minute, referee returned back to the VAR to check the penalty after the ball touched Iraq’s Ibrahim al Bayesh and he confirmed the penalty. The penalty was converted by Salim al Dawsari in the 57th minute to give the lead for Saudi Arabia.
In the 60th minute, Salim al Dawsari moved between the Iraqi players to send a strong shot but was saved by Iraq’s goalie Jalal Hassan. Just four minutes later, Iraq came back with a goal by Mohanad Ali al Shamari as he received a ball inside the box and converted the ball to the target.
Ahead of the match end by 10 minutes, Abdullah al Hamdan managed to put Saudi Arabia in lead again as he registered the second goal in style in the 80th minute. Five minutes later, Abdullah al Hamdan added another goal for Saudi Arabia following perfect assistance from Salim al Dawsari.
Iraq players worked hard in the dying minutes to bounce back as their strikers worked hard to reduce the scoring gap but they faced a strong defending line besides Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed al Owais who saved their attempts. Nine minutes were added as additional time and Saudi Arabia confirmed their win by 3-1. Salim al Dawsari was named as the best player of the match.
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