Muscat: Saham handed Al Rustaq their fifth defeat of the season after securing a 2–1 victory at Al Rustaq Sports Complex, concluding the fixtures of Matchday 5 of the Jindal Football League.
Saham started the game with clear attacking intent, taking control of the match and threatening Al Rustaq’s goal with several dangerous attempts. The home side suffered an early setback when defender Yousuf al Maamari was forced to leave the pitch due to injury, with Abs al Hashami coming on as his replacement.
Saham capitalised on their dominance by opening the scoring in the 27th minute through Ali al Hashmi following a series of missed opportunities. Al Rustaq attempted to respond, but their efforts lacked the required sharpness, as the first half ended with Saham leading 1–0.
Both teams returned from the break eager to settle the contest. Saham nearly doubled the score in the 47th minute after a defensive error, while Al Rustaq missed a clear chance in the 54th minute when a powerful strike sailed over the bar. Al Rustaq eventually found the equaliser in the 72nd minute through Luqman al Jadeedi, setting up a thrilling finish.
As Al Rustaq pushed forward searching for a winning goal, Saham struck on a swift counterattack, with Salah al Kahali scoring the decisive goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure all three points.
With this victory, Saham climbed to seven points and moved into eighth place, while Al Rustaq remained at the bottom of the table with their fifth consecutive loss.
SOHAR CLIMB TO FOURTH PLACE
In another Matchday 5 fixture, Sohar claimed a convincing 3–0 win over Ibri in the match played at Al Buraimi Sports Complex.
Sohar opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Dwayne Carroll delivered a brilliant pass to the in-form Amir Alaa, who dribbled past defenders and fired into the net. The first half ended with Sohar leading 1–0. At the start of the second half, Carroll repeated his brilliance by providing another assist to Amir Alaa, who successfully added the second goal in the 48th minute. Carroll then sealed the victory by converting a penalty in the 89th minute.
This win lifted Sohar to nine points, placing them fourth in the standings, while Ibri remained 12th with just one point.
SAMAYIL HOLD DHOFAR
The round concluded with a 1–1 draw between Dhofar and Samayil, played at Al Saada Sports Complex.
Dhofar took the lead in the 26th minute through Fahmi Dourbin, who headed home from a corner kick. Samayil equalised in the 78th minute when Ahmed al Jari also scored with a header from a corner. The draw raised Samayil's tally to six points in ninth place, while Dhofar reached five points to sit 10th.
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