Seeb tighten title grip; Sohar and Bahla draw

MUSCAT: Sohar and Bahla opened round 23 of the Jindal League (JL) with a 1-1 draw at Sohar Sports Complex, before leaders Seeb moved closer to the league title with a dramatic 2-1 home win over Dhofar at Seeb Stadium.
At Sohar Sports Complex, the hosts made a brighter start and went ahead inside the opening 10 minutes when Saif al Dhabbari headed home from a cross by Saud al Maqbali. The early goal lifted Sohar, who continued to threaten, while Bahla gradually worked their way back into the contest through Majid al Shukaili and Karl Winda.

Just as Sohar looked set to carry their lead into the break, Bahla struck in first-half stoppage time. Majid al Shukaili slipped a pass through to his brother Abdulsalam al Shukaili, who fired home to make it 1-1.
Bahla looked the more dangerous side after the interval and created the better chances, but poor finishing and a strong display from the Sohar goalkeeper Majdi Shaaban denied them a second goal. Sohar also had moments in attack, including a penalty appeal that was waved away, but neither side could find a winner. The draw lifted Sohar to 36 points in fifth place, while Bahla moved to 34 points in sixth.

LEADERS SEEB MOVE CLEAR
Later at Seeb Stadium, Seeb took another major step towards the title with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Dhofar to reach 60 points, while Dhofar remained on 21 points in ninth place.
The opening half was played at a high tempo, with Dhofar enjoying much of the early momentum through Hamoud al Saadi and Qasim Said, who kept pressure on Seeb’s defence. The hosts, however, gradually settled and broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Omar al Fazari rose and first-time shot past Mazin al Kasbi.

The goal gave Seeb greater control, although Dhofar nearly equalised in first-half stoppage time when Hamoud al Saadi failed to convert from close range after meeting a cross from Qasim Said.
The second half began in lively fashion. Seeb missed an early chance to extend their lead before Dhofar drew level in the 56th minute, when a shot came back off the crossbar, and Mohammed al Mehri reacted quickest to turn the ball home with a bicycle kick.
Seeb were awarded a penalty in the 84th minute after a VAR review, but Mazin al Kasbi produced an excellent save to deny Nasser al Rawahi. There was still time for late drama, with Fahd al Mukhaini sent off for Seeb in stoppage time, but the leaders still found the winner when Al Rawahi drilled a low effort into the net deep in added time.