Dhofar edge Bahla to boost survival hopes in JL

MUSCAT, MARCH 14
Dhofar secured an important 2-1 victory over Bahla on Friday night at Al Saada Sports Complex in Salalah, as the curtain came down on Round 17 of the Jindal League (JL).
Dhofar entered the contest with clear determination, making full use of home advantage and strong crowd support, and applied high pressure from the opening minutes in search of an early breakthrough that would give the team greater confidence.
The home side opened the scoring in the fourth minute after a well-worked passing move ended with Omar al Dahi delivering a precise cross into the box, where Sultan bin Bader al Marzooq rose to meet it with a fine header into the net.
After conceding, Bahla tried to regain their balance and find a quick way back into the match, but their attacking efforts lacked the cutting edge needed to trouble Dhofar’s goal, with the hosts showing solid defensive organisation.
Sultan al Marzooq nearly doubled both his tally and his team’s advantage in the 11th minute after capitalising on a defensive lapse inside the area, but Ghanaian defender Luke intervened at the right moment to clear the ball off the line.
Dhofar continued to enjoy the upper hand and maintained their organised attacking movements, adding a second goal in the 20th minute when Abdullah Zaher sent in a well-placed cross that was met by Hamood al Saadi, who guided a header into Bahla’s net to underline Dhofar’s superiority in the first half.
Despite falling two goals behind, Bahla did not give up and looked to reduce the deficit before the break. They came close in the 40th minute when Faisal al Balushi dribbled his way past Dhofar’s defenders and fired a powerful shot, but Dhofar goalkeeper Mazin al Kassabi produced an excellent save to preserve his side’s lead, as the first half ended with Dhofar 2-0 ahead.
Bahla showed improvement after the restart, raising the tempo and increasing the pressure through the midfield and wide areas in a bid to get back into the game. Their improvement paid off in the 55th minute when Abdullah al Nabhani delivered a precise high ball from midfield to Abdulsalam al Shukaili, who controlled it brilliantly before finishing confidently into the net.
The goal gave Bahla a strong psychological lift, but Dhofar did not retreat and instead looked for a third goal to seal the result. They almost found it in the 60th minute through a powerful low strike from Abdullah Zaher, but Bahla goalkeeper Salah al Hanthali was equal to it and made a fine save.
The match sprang back to life in the 89th minute when Bahla nearly grabbed an equaliser through Abdulsalam al Shukaili after a fine individual run and strong shot, but Mazin al Kassabi once again came to Dhofar’s rescue with another important save.
With the win, Dhofar moved up to 17 points in 10th place, earning a crucial result at a sensitive stage of the season, while Bahla remained on 28 points in sixth place.