MUSCAT: Al Nahda Club kicked off their campaign in the Elite Football League with a comfortable 3-0 victory over their guests, Samayil, in a match held at Al Buraimi Sports Complex as part of the opening round of the competition.
Al Nahda entered the encounter with intensity, imposing their attacking style from the very first minutes. Their dominance was quickly rewarded with an early goal in the 9th minute, scored by Thani al Rashidi with a powerful header after a perfect cross from Ahed al Mushaikhi on the left side, registering the very first goal of the new season. Al Nahda continued pressing Samayil’s defence and came close to doubling the lead on multiple occasions, but the visitors’ goalkeeper and defenders stood firm. As the first half neared its end, Al Nahda were awarded a penalty after Hamad al Habsi was fouled inside the box by defender Ahmed al Jabri. Ahmed al Kaabi stepped up confidently and slotted the ball into the net in the 45+3 minute, giving his side a comfortable two-goal advantage at halftime.
In the second half, Al Nahda maintained their control on the field and managed to add a third goal in the 69th minute through Hamad al Habsi, who capitalised on a quick counterattack and calmly finished into the net, extending his team’s lead to 3-0. On the other hand, Samayil tried to reduce the deficit but lacked the attacking solutions to truly threaten Al Nahda’s goal. The match ended with a convincing 3-0 win for Al Nahda, securing their first three points of the season and sending a clear signal of their readiness to strongly compete for the league title. Meanwhile, Samayil left the match empty-handed after a performance that fell short of matching last season’s league runner-up.
In another first-round match, Al Shabab’s clash with Ibri ended in a 2-1 victory for the former, in a match hosted at Seeb Stadium.
Shabab entered the match strongly from the opening minutes, with their players pressing Ibri’s goal. However, the solid defending of Ibri denied an early breakthrough. On the other side, Ibri organised their play and came close to scoring on several occasions, most notably through Abdulrahman al Yaqoubi’s strike that hit the post in the 10th minute. Shabab responded with a dangerous effort when Al Ghafri’s header also struck the post, before Ahed al Hudaifi finally broke the deadlock in the 15th minute, capitalising on a rebound from the goalkeeper inside the box to score Shabab’s opener. Hatem al Rushdawi missed the chance to double the lead after failing to convert a penalty, as the first half ended 1-0 in Shabab’s favour.
In the second half, both sides continued exchanging attacks, with making tactical substitutions to refresh their squads. Shabab managed to add a second goal in the 77th minute through Mohammed al Ghafri, who exploited a defensive error and slotted the ball home. Ibri, however, clawed their way back into the match in the 86th minute when their foreign professional, Bisan Jakos, scored with a header from a set piece, igniting the final minutes of the game. Despite Ibri’s heavy pressure, Shabab’s defence held firm to secure the win.
With this result, Shabab claimed their first three points of the league campaign, while Ibri left the match empty-handed.
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