Muscat, March 3 - Al Suwaiq will lock horns with Salalah powerhouse Dhofar in the final clash of the 2020-21 season His Majesty’s Cup football championship on Sunday at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The final will be a repeat of the 2016-17 season as both teams met each other and Al Suwaiq had lifted the title after winning the match 2-0 at the same venue.
The three-time winners secured slot in the final after overcoming Al Ittihad 2-0 in the second leg of the semifinal at Al Rustaq Sports Complex late on Tuesday.
Essam al Subhi was the star of the Northern Batinah-based team as he scored both goals in the match. Al Ittihad won the first leg 2-1 at Al Saada Sports Complex.
Al Suwaiq head coach Hakeem Shaker said the triumph of his team in the home match was a result of the top performance by players to ensure a place in the final.
“We have benefited from the first leg match as we scored one away goal. I managed to position each player in the right place and they had the confidence to deliver good results. All these factors helped the team to advance to the final match’’, he said.
Responding on a query regarding the final against Dhofar, the Iraqi coach replied that match will be tough as expected. “Dhofar are holders of nine titles. We had drawn with them in the league and we have enough time to prepare the suitable tactics for the game’’, he ended.
JABER HAPPY TO ‘COME THROUGH’
Earlier on Tuesday, Dhofar booked the final after edging Seeb 2-1 at Al Saada Sports Complex. Rasheed Jaber, head coach of Dhofar, said the match against Seeb was very tough as they have top and experienced players.
“ We were positioned in difficult situation during the first half as the opponents were leading the match. In the last half an hour of the second half, we could take control of the game and create many scoring attempts. From series of the chances, the strikers managed to score two goals which were enough to move into the final’’, he said.
The experienced national coach affirmed that there is no much time to prepare well for the all-important match.
“We will depend on the quick recovery during the upcoming three days. In the last few weeks, we were playing every three days in the league and HM Cup and this is very attractive environment for injuries. The players require suitable time for recovery and retain the required fitness to the next matches’’, he concluded.
The final match of the coveted cup will kick-off at 6:45 pm at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Sayyid Saud bin Hilal al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Muscat, will preside over the final in presence of top dignitaries and other officials.
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