Oman Club, Samayil, Saham and Ibri make winning starts

MUSCAT: Oman Club, Samayil, Saham and Ibri opened their Jindal Youth League campaigns with victories as the inaugural competition kicked off with six matches across its two groups.
In Group One, Oman Club recorded the biggest victory of the opening round, defeating Bahla 4-1 at Al Seeb Club’s Al Baha’is ground. The result placed Oman Club at the top of the group on goal difference.
Samayil also collected three points following a 2-1 victory over Dhofar, moving into second place behind Oman Club. Sur and Al Nasr shared the points after their encounter ended in a 2-2 draw.
Oman Club and Samayil lead Group One with three points each, followed by Sur and Al Nasr on one point apiece. Al Seeb, who received a bye in the opening round, are yet to begin their campaign, while Dhofar and Bahla remain without a point.
In Group Two, Saham secured a strong opening victory after defeating hosts Al Rustaq 3-1 at Al Rustaq Sports Complex.
Ibri matched Saham’s result with a 3-1 win over Al Nahda, leaving both teams level on three points and a goal difference of plus two. Saham occupy top spot, followed by Ibri.
The North Al Batinah derby between Al Khabourah and Sohar ended in a 1-1 draw, giving both clubs their first point of the competition. Al Shabab sat out the opening round.
The second round will be played today, Monday, with another six matches scheduled across the two venues.
Group One action begins at 6 pm as Dhofar take on Al Nasr, while Sur face Bahla. Oman Club will then meet Al Seeb at 7:20 pm, with Samayil receiving a bye.
In Group Two, Ibri face Sohar at 6 pm, while Al Khabourah meet leaders Saham. The round concludes at 7:20 pm when Al Rustaq take on Al Shabab, who will be making their first appearance in the competition. Al Nahda will sit out the second round.
The league’s opening stage is being contested in a single round-robin format, with the top two clubs from each group advancing to the knockout semifinals.