Ibri, Al Khabourah secure crucial wins in OL

Muscat, Feb 12

Ibri Club secured a valuable 1-0 victory over Sohar during the 14th round of the Omantel League at the Ibri Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Sohar started the match with an aggressive approach, aiming for an early goal. The first opportunity came in the fifth minute when Darwish al Saadi fired a low shot from outside the penalty area, but Ibri goalkeeper Mutia al Saadi made a difficult save.

Sohar continued their attempts, with Al Saadi coming close again in the ninth minute after breaking through the defence, but his shot went over the crossbar. Ibri also had several opportunities but failed to convert them into goals, ending the first half in a goalless draw despite both teams' efforts.

At the start of the second half, Ibri showed more determination to secure the win. In the 62nd minute, they were awarded a penalty after Ishhad bin Obaid al Abdulsalam was fouled inside the box by defender Ahmed Al Abdulsalam. Dawood al Jabri successfully converted the penalty past goalkeeper Majdi al Ajmi, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

After the goal, Sohar pushed forward in search of an equaliser, creating several threats. The most notable came in the 70th minute when Mohammed Ayad Sweid attempted a bicycle kick that went over the crossbar. In the 85th minute, Mohsin Jawher squandered Sohar’s best chance when he received the ball inside the box but shot wide, sealing Ibri’s victory.

With this win, Ibri climbed to sixth place in the standings with 18 points, while Sohar remained stuck at 10 points, dropping to 11th place, one of the two relegation spots in the 12-team league.

KAZEEM NETS LATE WINNER

Al Khabourah secured a 1-0 victory over Bahla at the Nizwa Sports Complex.

The first half was evenly contested, with both teams exchanging chances but failing to find the net, ending in a goalless draw.

In the second half, Al Khabourah intensified their attacks and came close to scoring in the 55th minute, but the goalkeeper made a crucial save. However, in the 83rd minute, Amir Alaa Kazem netted the match's only goal, securing a last-minute win for his team.

With this victory, Al Khabourah raised their tally to 20 points, climbing to fourth place in the standings, while Bahla remained at 18 points, dropping to fifth place.