Oman eye third title in Gulf Cup final against Bahrain

KUWAIT: Oman and Bahrain will face-off in the title-clash of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup at Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Stadium in Kuwait City at 8 pm (Oman time).

Oman have won two titles in the 19th and the 23rd editions, while Bahrain have one title in the 24th edition.

Both teams performed greatly and reached the final with full merit, Oman team has scored 6 goals and conceded 4 goals, while Bahrain scored 7 and conceded 4 goals.

Several names stand out in the Red Warriors' ranks, the team's striker and the tournament's top scorer so far, Issam al Subhi, with 3 goals.

Midfielder Arshad al Alawi won the best player award in two matches out of four.

Other Omani star acts during the past matches include Abdulrahman al Mushaifri and Ali al Busaidi.

Oman team will miss one of their top strikers, Al Mundhir al Alawi, due to the red card in the match against Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, Bahraini will enter the match after having performed well in all the matches. Ali Madan, Mohammed Marhoon and Mahdi Humaidan have two goals each, while Mahdi Abduljabbar will be absent due to a red card in the semifinal against Kuwait.

Oman reached the final without any loss and topping Group A with 5 points.

Oman began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against hosts Kuwait in the opener. Then they succeeded in defeating Qatar 2-1, and tied with UAE 1-1 in the third round to qualify for the semifinals to face the stubborn Saudi team.

With the determination of 10 men, they were able to overcome Saudi Arabia with a score of 2-1 to set an anticipated date with Bahrain in the final.

Bahraini managed to beat Saudi Arabia 3-2, and then blanked Iraq 2-0, and suffered a 1-2 loss to Yemen, to qualify first in the Group B with 6 points. Bahrain edged Kuwait 1-0 in the second semifinal.

For the records, Oman national team played 22 matches against Bahrain in the Gulf Cup. Bahrain have won 8, while Oman have managed to win 5 matches, and 9 matches ended in a draw. Bahrain scored 27 goals, while Oman scored 16 goals.