Seeb, Al Shabab seal semifinal places

MUSCAT, NOV 14
Seeb and Al Shabab secured the two semifinal places from Group Two of the Sohar International Cup after recording victories in the sixth round on Friday.
Seeb defeated Al Nahda 2-0 to consolidate their position at the top with 13 points, while Al Shabab edged Ibri 2-1 to move onto 11 points. The other group fixture ended goalless between Sohar and Al Musannah.
At Ibri Sports Complex, Dutch striker Pepijn Doesburg converted two first-half penalties to guide Al Shabab to an important victory.
The visitors gradually took control after an evenly contested opening and threatened through Hussain bin Said al Shahri, whose free kick passed narrowly wide before another set-piece forced Ibri goalkeeper Omar al Matroushi into a difficult save.
Al Shabab broke the deadlock in the 27th minute after the ball struck the hand of Ibri defender Guy Olivier Ndiaye inside the penalty area. Doesburg converted the resulting penalty before doubling the lead from another spot kick in the 37th minute following a second handball.
Ibri responded with greater urgency after the interval and reduced the deficit in the 84th minute when Al Azhar al Qalhati collected the ball inside the six-yard area and finished past the goalkeeper.
The hosts pressed for an equaliser during the closing stages, but Al Shabab protected their advantage to preserve their unbeaten group record and confirm qualification.
At Seeb Stadium, the hosts overcame Al Nahda through two goals in the second half. Mohammed al Sinaidi opened the scoring in the 55th minute before Augustine Oladapo added the second nine minutes later.
The victory took Seeb to 13 points from five matches, with four wins and one draw. They have scored nine goals and conceded only once, giving them the strongest defensive record in the group.
Al Nahda completed their six group matches with nine points and finished outside the qualification places despite entering the round as Seeb’s closest challengers.
Meanwhile, Sohar and Al Musannah shared the points following a 0-0 draw at Sohar Sports Complex.
Sohar enjoyed periods of attacking pressure under new coach Marian Mihai, particularly through Saud al Muqbali and Ahmed al Omrani, but lacked the finishing touch against an organised Al Musannah defence.
Al Musannah also threatened through quick attacks down the flanks, with Azzam al Saadi and Christopher Imengero involved in several moves, although neither side managed to find a breakthrough.
The draw moved Sohar onto seven points, while Al Musannah reached three. With one match remaining for both Seeb and Al Shabab, the two clubs can no longer be overtaken in the race for the semifinals.