KUWAIT CITY: The Oman national football team snatched Group A lead and reached the semifinals of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup after an exciting draw against the UAE, after being on the verge of saying goodbye.
Oman topped the group with 5 points, tied with Kuwait, who also had 5 points and they were equal in everything except fair play (number of cards).
UAE finished third with two points and Qatar came in fourth with two points and bid farewell to the competition.
Oman will face the second-placed team in Group B in the first semifinal on Tuesday.
The second semifinal will see hosts Kuwait meet the topper of Group B.
The Red Warriors are reaching the semifinals for the seventh time out of 10 editions after the group system was launched 20 years ago. Oman reached the final five times, won the title twice in the 19th and 23rd editions and lost the final in the 17th, 18th and 25th editions.
Oman exited from the first round in the 20th, 21st and 24th editions.
Oman managed to record 14 wins since adopting the group system out of 30 matches.
Issam al Subhi, Omani striker, confirmed that “the match was extremely difficult and for the third match in a row our team succeeded in returning after falling behind, due to the players’ confidence in themselves.”
Al Subhi praised the coach for guiding the team. “We thank team’s coach, Rasheed Jaber, for giving us the confidence and for having a clear influence on our team.”
“From now on, our focus is on the semifinal match and working to reach the final match,” he ended.
Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Oman goalkeeper, said: “The team did not perform as expected during the first half, but in the second half we entered the atmosphere of the match and we all joined together to win the ticket to the semifinals.”
“I made a mistake that cost the team a penalty kick, but I succeeded in stopping the ball successfully and keeping the result equal until the referee's whistle.”
“I was confident in saving the ball thanks to the instructions of goalkeeping coach, Chadli al Mabrouki, and he told me about his expectations and reading of the situation,” he concluded.
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