MUSCAT: Omani club Dhofar's hopes of advancing to the next phase of the Gulf Champions League Championship ended following their 2-1 defeat against UAE’s Al Nasr on Tuesday night at Al Saada Sports Complex. The first-leg match ended with a 5-2 win for the UAE club.
The loss left Dhofar’s credit in Group A at four points, while Al Nasr raised their tally to 13 points to secure a spot in the semifinal of the Gulf Champions League.
Hosts Dhofar took the lead through Hamood al Saadi, who scored the opening goal with a header in the 38th minute. Al Nasr bounced back strongly in the second half, managing to visit the opponent’s target twice in the 59th and 78th minutes through Haris Seferovic.
In the other group, Iraq’s Duhok SC joined Al Nasr in the semifinal after thrashing Yemen’s Ahli Sanaa Club SC 3-0 in the second-leg match of Group B in the fifth round of the championship. The victory put Duhok SC on eight points, while the Yemeni club exited with three points after the group stage concluded.
The first goal in the match for Iraq’s Duhok SC was scored by Bayara Abubaker in the seventh minute, and the first half ended 1-0. In the second half, the Iraqi team doubled their lead with two more goals scored by Peter Georgis in the 78th minute and Yannick Zakri in the 98th minute, both from penalty kicks.
In the semifinal, Duhok SC, second in Group A, will meet Saudi’s Al Ittifaq, who are top of Group B. Al Nasr, who are topping Group A, will await the final round of Group B fixtures to determine the second-placed team in Group B.
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