MUSCAT, FEB 27
Oman Club secured a valuable 2-1 victory over hosts Dhofar in the match held at Al Saada Sports Complex in Salalah, in the postponed fixture from Round 14 of the Jindal League season. The encounter was marked by intensity and dramatic shifts in momentum until the final whistle.
The match began at a high tempo, with both sides showing clear intent to score early. The teams exchanged attacking attempts from the opening minutes.
Yazeed al Rawahi nearly opened the scoring after breaking free on a counterattack and facing Dhofar goalkeeper Mazen al Kasbi one-on-one, but hesitation in finishing denied him a clear opportunity. Dhofar responded in the eighth minute through Abdullah Zaher, whose powerful strike sailed over the crossbar of Oman Club goalkeeper Abdulaziz al Hassani.
In the 14th minute, Oman Club’s professional player Adama Diaw came close to scoring following a swift counterattack, but Al Kasbi produced an excellent save. The exchange of chances continued until the 23rd minute, when Al Rawahi was brought down inside the penalty area. After consulting VAR, the referee awarded a penalty to Oman. Hosni al Hinai stepped up to take it, but the kick was not executed legally, leading the referee to award an indirect free kick to Dhofar instead.
Despite that setback, Oman took the lead in the 31st minute through Al Rawahi, who capitalised on another one-on-one situation and confidently slotted the ball into the net. Just before half-time, Dhofar were awarded a penalty after Oman’s Senegalese defender Diop handled the ball inside the box, resulting in a red card. However, Moataz Saleh squandered the chance to equalise by sending his effort wide, and the first half ended with Oman leading 1-0.
NUMERICAL PARITY
In the second half, Dhofar applied heavy pressure, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, while Oman relied on counterattacks. Al Rawahi nearly doubled the lead in the 56th minute, but Al Kasbi once again came to his team’s rescue. The balance shifted again in the 68th minute when Dhofar defender Firas al Souri was sent off for fouling Waleed al Musallami while through on goal, restoring numerical parity between the sides.
In the 77th minute, the referee awarded Dhofar a second penalty, which substitute Qasim Said converted successfully to level the score. However, Oman responded swiftly. In the 82nd minute, substitute Al Harith al Mukhaini scored the decisive goal following a well-organised counterattack, heading home a precise cross from Waleed al Musallami.
Dhofar pushed hard in the closing stages in search of another equaliser, but Oman Club’s defence held firm until the final whistle. The victory earned Oman three important points, lifting their tally to 21 points in seventh place, while Dhofar remained tenth with 14 points.
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