MUSCAT, JAN 12
Al Nasr booked their place in the semifinals of His Majesty’s Cup football competition after securing a hard fought 1–0 victory over Sohar in the second leg of the quarterfinal, played at the Sohar Sports
Complex. The result sealed qualification for Al Nasr following a goalless draw in the first leg.
Al Nasr made a strong start to the match, asserting their attacking intent from the opening minutes and applying sustained pressure on Sohar’s goal, the visitors created several clear cut chances, but an outstanding performance from Sohar’s goalkeeper denied Al Nasr an early breakthrough with a series of crucial saves.
Sohar, meanwhile, adopted a cautious approach, focusing on defensive organisation and limiting Al
Nasr’s attacking threat, while producing only sporadic forward moves, their performance improved
slightly towards the end of the first half as they managed to push forward, yet neither side was able to break the deadlock and the half ended scoreless.
After the restart, Sohar retreated deeper into their own half and relied heavily on physical challenges to disrupt Al Nasr’s rhythm. Al Nasr continued to dominate possession and press for the decisive goal,
maintaining their composure and attacking momentum.
The breakthrough finally came in the 64th minute when Khalid al Ghadhrifi rose highest to meet a
corner kick and headed home the only goal of the match, giving Al Nasr a deserved lead.
Sohar attempted to mount a late response in the closing stages, but Al Nasr’s disciplined defensive
display and tactical awareness ensured the advantage was preserved until the final whistle, confirming their progression to the semifinals of the competition.
In another quarterfinal second-leg encounter, Al Nahda continued their impressive run by defeating Sur 4–2, completing a dominant aggregate victory of 6–2 over the two legs. The result underlined Al Nahda’s strong form and signalled their readiness to challenge for the His Majesty’s Cup as the tournament moves into its decisive stages.
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