Two-time champs Oman will eye their 3rd title, come this Thursday, as they secured their berth in the top clash of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup with a 1-0 win over safeguarding champions Bahrain in the 2nd semi-final match at Al Mina’a Olympic Arena in Basra, Iraq, on Monday evening.
A peach of a goal by Jameel Al Yahmadi with just 7 minutes staying powered Oman to the final. The pile-driver from Yahmadi beat the diving Bahrain goalkeeper Saad Jaffer to put Oman into their 5th-ever final.
Oman’s last look in the last was during their title-winning accomplishment in Kuwait in 2017-2018.
The Red Warriors, trained by Croatian Branko Ivankovic, will certainly take on Iraq in the final after the hosts edged previous reigning Eastern champions Qatar 2-1 in an earlier semi-final at Basra International Stadium.
Both Oman as well as Bahrain failed to break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes though the teams had goal-scoring possibilities.
Bahrain started on a favorable note with a number of raids on Oman citadel.
The Red Warriors slowly entered the groove and made two harmful moves in the 11th and 12th mins with Salah Al Yahyei getting the best opportunity.
Oman’s goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini was also kept busy by Bahrain demonstrators. Mukhaini needed to generate a good save to reject Bahrain’s Abdullah Yousuf in the 22nd min as the groups dealt with an attritional midfield fight for the last quarter of the very first fifty percent.
In the 2nd fifty percent, both teams installed a more aggressive strategy looking for an evasive objective as well as lastly the initiatives of Oman were compensated with a magical strike from Yahmadi.
Last Updated: 16 January 2023
