MUSCAT: Ten-time champions Dhofar secured the first slot in the His Majesty’s Cup final, as they registered a tough 1-0 win over Bahla on Sunday in the former’s home at Al Saada Sports Stadium. In a thrilling second leg semis match of the Coveted Cup, Oman national team player Motaz Saleh sealed the victory for his team Dhofar in the second half to end both games with 1-0 as the first match ended at a goalless draw on February 28 at Nizwa Sports Complex. Dhofar confirmed their 17th presence in the final and are much closer now to reach into their 11th title and make a record following to nine titles for Fanja.
Both teams began the match with very careful movements to avoid receiving an early goal. Qasim Said, Sultan al Marzooq, Awadh Ahmed, Motaz Saleh and beside other names from Dhofar did many movements but all their attempts were broken by the visitor’s defence side. The first half ended with a goalless draw. In the second half, both coaches entered the game with a different tactics and scenarios as the winner will be decided in this crucial game. It was the hosts Dhofar who began the game strongly. On the other side, Bahla’s players made some dangerous movements as well through Ravael Bastos in the 70th minute as he tried to score but his strong header was saved from the Dhofar’s goalie Mazin al Kaasbi.
The main referee of the match, Nayef al Balushi, decided for a penalty for Salalah giants in the 80th minute and the penalty converted to a goal by Motaz Saleh to put his team ahead in the match for the first time. Bahla worked very hard to return into the match and Majid al Shukaili missed a golden opportunity to score the equaliser as he sent a strong ball inside the box but his ball went away from the target in the dying minutes. The main referee added six minutes as additional time for the second half but there were no any changes despite Bahla’s scoring chances which were broken by Mazin al Kasbi to remain the result and end the match at 1-0 and Dhofar sealed an emphatic win and progressed to the final of the HM Cup.
The other match of the semis round between Al Nasr and Al Nahdha will be held on Monday at Al Saada Sports Stadium. The match will kick off at 10:00 pm. The winner of this match will meet Dhofar in the final match which will be decided later.
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