Ahmed Eltigani
In the second batch of matches for the semi-final qualifiers,
Oman took on Saudi Arabia in an action-packed game. From kick off, the tensions
were high as the match had high stakes in the form of a qualification ticket to
the semi-finals, with the tensions being evident when Oman player Abdulaziz
Maqbali received an early yellow card in the seventh minute.
The 25th
minute saw Saudi Arabia’s Firas Al-Buraikan score a brilliant goal, with the
well placed shot ricocheting off the crossbar and past the goal line. The
second goal followed not too far after, when Hattan Bahebri converted a
brilliant wide open switch on the right side of the box into a powerful strike
deflecting off Omani defender Al-Musalami’s leg into the top right corner of
the net in the 42nd minute.
With Saudi Arabia coming out of the
first half dominant on the scoreboard as well as possession, Oman retaliated in
the 55th minute with a brilliant solo goal delivered by Al Mandhar
Al Alawi, who was boxed in by three Saudi defenders and managed to squeeze the
ball into a tight bottom left corner making it difficult for the keeper to
reach.
In quick succession, Omani fans were left stunned as Hattan Bahebri
scored the third for Saudi Arabia in the 57th minute; in a show of
pure class the winger whipped the ball in from just outside the penalty spot,
curling it around the keeper to touch the bottom left corner of the net.
Oman
fought to find some way to equalize in the fixture, but fell short as the full
time whistle blew with Saudi Arabia winning the game 3-1, leaving their only hope of qualification dependent on the results
of the simultaneous fixture between Kuwait and Bahrain.