Oman suffer heavy defeat to Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: Oman suffered their first defeat at Gulf Cup 27 after losing 3-0 to hosts Saudi Arabia in second round of Group A, at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday night.
The defeat left the Red Warriors with one point from two matches, while Saudi Arabia became the first team to secure a place in the semi-finals. The Gulf Cup is being held in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6.
Saudi Arabia started strongly and created the first opening in the sixth minute when Saleh Abu al Shamat tested Ibrahim al Mukhaini with a powerful effort that went over the bar.
The hosts took the lead in the 11th minute when Firas al Buraikan headed home from a precise cross by Abu al Shamat.
Saudi Arabia were awarded a penalty two minutes later following an incident involving Sultan Mandash and Ahmed al Kaabi inside the area, but referee Ammar Mahfouz overturned the decision after consulting VAR.
The hosts continued to threaten and doubled their advantage in the 18th minute through Hassan Kadesh, who headed home from a set-piece delivery by Abu al Shamat.
Saudi Arabia added a third in the 34th minute when al Buraikan completed his brace with a powerful finish following a well-organised attack with Mandash.
Oman appeared to have pulled one back two minutes later when Nasser al Rawahi produced a fine finish over goalkeeper Mohammed al Owais, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review.
The Red Warriors returned with greater attacking intent after the break. In the 48th minute, al Rawahi came close when his effort struck the post, while al Owais denied Issam al Subhi with a fine save from a first-time effort in the 56th minute.
Oman continued to push from both flanks and had another clear opportunity in the 74th minute when al Rawahi found himself one-on-one with al Owais but fired wide.
Oman head coach Tarik Sektioui said after the loss, “The result is a big one and we are disappointed. We wanted to win, but in the first half we were very poor and gave them the first two goals. Our performance improved in the second half, but the result is disappointing.”
“The defeat will not change our way of working. This match required a high level of physical and mental readiness, and we needed to win more aerial and ground duels. The Saudi team were better than us in those areas,” he added.
“I thanked the players because they gave their heart and spirit and did not hold back. We changed tactically in the second half and finished the match with three defenders,” Sektioui noted.
“If we had scored a goal, it could have given our players hope of coming back, but the desire and strength of the Saudi team prevented us from achieving our objective,” he explained.
“The first half was difficult because the opponents were better physically and more agile. Perhaps the previous match affected us, but the players have to recover and prepare themselves for the physical demands of such tournaments,” Sektioui concluded.
Bahraini referee Ammar Mahfouz officiated the match, assisted by Mohammed Jaafar Salman and Abdullah al Ruwaihi, while Portugal’s Joao Pinheiro served as the fourth official.
Qatar’s Meshaari al Shammari was the VAR referee, with Bahrain’s Ismail Habib as the assistant VAR, while UAE’s Hamad al Mazrouei was appointed referee assessor.
Oman will face Kuwait in their final Group A match on Tuesday, with their qualification hopes dependent on securing victory and the result of the Iraq-Saudi Arabia match, as well as the goal difference.