Caitlin Dillon
Saudi Arabia’s comfortable 2-0 victory over Bahrain in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup allowed them to walk away from the slow-paced Group B fixture with all three points.
The Group B clash, despite lacking in energy, was not lacking in chances, with the sides racking up 22 between them. However, of the 9 on target, only two were successful.
The match started well, with Saudi’s Mohammed Khubrani slotting the ball past Bahrain’s keeper, Waleed Alhayam. However the flag went up for what was a clear offside, and the goal was instantly disallowed.
It was only as the clock neared the half-hour mark that the first goal of the match came, as 20-year-old Al-Shabab striker, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, scored a skillful opening goal from the edge of the box.
Going into the second half, Bahrain continued to lack the urgency required to turn the game around. There were two clear chances for the Bahrainis around the one-hour mark, but less than a minute later, Saudi doubled their lead as Khubrani got his name on the scoresheet after all, scoring a free header directly from a corner, despite the six red shirts in the box.
For the remaining half an hour, the teams tiptoed around one another with only a handful of chances, until the final whistle was blown.
Tonight’s results leave Oman at the top of Group B with 4 points, while Kuwait sits in second place with three points and a +1 goal difference. Saudi Arabia, in third place, also have three points but are behind on goal difference, and Bahrain sit at the bottom of the group with 1 point.
Monday the 2nd of December will see all of the remaining group stage matches played out, with the Group A matches taking place at 5:30pm, and the Group B matches at 8:00pm. Iraq are currently the only team with a definitive place in the semi-finals.