Oman Club secure late win over Dhofar in HM’s Cup quarters

MUSCAT: Dhofar Club suffered a narrow home defeat after Oman Club claimed a crucial 1–0 victory in the first leg of the His Majesty’s Cup quarterfinal, played on Saturday evening at Al Saada Sports Complex in Dhofar, in a match marked by intensity and fine margins.
Dhofar made a strong start and imposed early pressure, dominating possession and creating several clear scoring opportunities, the hosts squandered three gilt edged chances in the opening stages, while Oman Club’s goalkeeper produced two outstanding saves to keep his side in the contest and deny Dhofar an early breakthrough.
After the 30th minute, the tempo of the match gradually slowed as both teams became more cautious, with play largely confined to midfield, Oman Club showed greater attacking intent in the closing moments of the first half, but neither side managed to find the net and the opening period ended in a goalless draw.

The second half saw a more balanced contest, with both teams trading attacks and looking for an opening goal while maintaining defensive discipline, as the match appeared to be heading towards another stalemate, Oman Club struck decisively in the 85th minute, Majid Al Balushi rose highest to meet a well delivered corner kick, powering a header into the net to score the only goal of the match.
Oman Club successfully defended their slender advantage in the closing minutes, securing a valuable away victory that strengthens their position ahead of the second leg, Dhofar, meanwhile, will be looking to overturn the deficit when the two sides meet again.
Other Results:
Elsewhere in the competition, Al Nahda defeated Sur 2–0 on the same day. On Friday, Al Seeb edged past Saham 3–2, while the match between Al Nasr and Sohar ended in a goalless draw.