Muscat: Al Rustaq claimed a precious 1-0 victory over Sur, as part of the 18th round of the Omantel League on Tuesday.
Al Rustaq dominated most of the first half and threatened Sur's goal with several attempts from Laith al Adawi and Ernest. The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when Al Adawi scored with a header following a precise cross from Ernest. Sur attempted to respond through counter-attacks but lacked effectiveness, ending the first half with Al Rustaq in the lead.
In the second half, both teams continued to press ahead. Sur had a notable chance in the 55th minute, and Al Rustaq responded with a shot over the bar in the 60th minute. Both coaches made substitutions to bolster their attacks. Abdullah al Mushaikhi and Aysar al Alawi stood out for Sur but couldn’t change the result. The match ended with Al Rustaq taking all three points.
With this win, Al Rustaq raised their tally to 20 points, moving up to eighth place and distancing themselves from relegation danger. Sur remained on 13 points, remaining among the favourites for relegation.
SOHAR, AL KHABOURAH SHARE POINTS
Sohar and Al Khabourah played to a 1-1 draw at Al Rustaq Sports Complex as part of the Omantel League.
The first half saw a moderate level of play with both sides attempting to break the deadlock. The best chances came from a long-range effort by Mohsin Jawhar that sailed over the crossbar in the ninth minute, and a dangerous header from Rashid al Hosani that was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Fayez al Rushaidi in the 25th minute. Despite Al Khabourah’s relative dominance in aerial balls, Sohar opened the scoring in the 41st minute through Saud al Muqbali, who finished from a cross, ending the half 1-0 in Sohar’s favour.
Al Khabourah came out strongly in the second half and pressed for an equaliser, which came in the 51st minute via a header from Mohammed Lami off a cross. Both teams continued to trade attacks, but neither could secure the win, even with six minutes of added time, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
Sohar’s draw brings them to 18 points, slipping to 11th place, while Al Khabourah climb to 22 points in fifth place.
SAHAM, IBRI DRAW 2-2
Saham and Ibri battled to a 2-2 draw at the Sur Sports Complex.
Ibri had a slight upper hand in the first half and scored an early goal in the ninth minute through Yousef al Khalili. They maintained their lead into half-time.
In the second half, Saham responded strongly. Nigerian striker Adeniji Babatunde equalised in the 48th minute and scored again in the 72nd to give Saham a 2-1 lead. However, Ibri reacted quickly and levelled the score just two minutes later with a goal by Viston Abdul.
The draw puts Saham at 21 points in sixth place, while Ibri climb to 20 points in ninth place.
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