Muscat, Feb 12
Al Rustaq cruised into the semis of the prestigious HM Football Cup as they ended the second leg match of quarterfinal round by 1-1 draw and progressed on a 3-1 aggregate victory against Nizwa late on Friday.
The Southern Batinah team had romped to a 2-0 win over Nizwa in the first leg game which was held on January 20 at Nizwa Sports Complex.
At Al Rustaq Sports Complex, Rustaq players managed to register a historic move to the semis round of the coveted cup for the first time in history. The players and fans celebrated for this historic achievement after the match. Coach Deno Katlin’s battalion will be chasing their dreams with two remaining steps left until reaching the title.
After a goalless draw in the first half, Abdulrahman al Ghassani broke the draw as he netted the first goal in the game to lead Al Rustaq in the 55th minute from header.
Rustaq’s joy did not complete it as the Mutaz Khalfan managed to return the match to the original position and equalised the result. After the equaliser, Tidian Kamar, Mahdi al Rawahi and other players pressed hard and seeking for another goal but Rustaq’s defenders and the goalkeeper Ammar al Rushaidi broke all their attempts.
In the other previous matches, Dhofar sealed a direct ticket to the semis after beating Al Suwaiq 6-5 on penalties in the second leg of the quarterfinal after the regulation and extra time ended 1-0 for Al Suwaiq.
The first leg match ended with the same result for Dhofar 1-0 at Al Saada Stadium on January 19.
With the aggregate result ending 1-1, the match went into penalties where Dhofar pipped Al Suwaiq 6-5 in a battle of nerves.
Seeb booked a slot in the semifinal of the coveted cup as they beat Sur 3-0 at Seeb Stadium. The first leg match of the quarterfinal ended in a goalless draw at Sur Sports Complex. With the aggregate result ending 3-0, the Muscat based team qualified to the next round.
Al Nasr managed to earn the third spot to the semifinal round as they defeated nine times winner Fanja 2-0 in the second leg fixture of the quarterfinal round of the HM Cup at Seeb Stadium.
The first leg game had ended with the same result for Al Nasr 2-0 and the aggregate triumph is 4-0.
The draw of the semifinal round will take place on Sunday at Seeb Stadium. The draw will start at 13:00. Dhofar, Seeb, Al Nasr and Al Rustaq confirmed their attendance in semifinal and they are awaiting the results of the draw.
The first leg matches of the semifinals will take place on February 20 and 21, 2022 while the second leg will be on March 2 and 3, 2022.
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