MUSCAT: Oman Club retained the First Division Handball League title after defeating Muscat Club 31-28 in the final held at the main hall of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Sunday evening, under the auspices of Mohsin bin Hani al Bahrani, Chairman of Al Amerat Club.
Oman Club continued its dominance of the competition by securing its fifth consecutive title and the 11th in its history, while Al Seeb Club finished third.
The match started at a fast and exciting pace from the opening moments, with Oman Club taking an early lead through Said al Hasani before Muscat replied quickly via Zakariya al Busaidy.
Hamad al Dughaishi restored Oman’s advantage, but Hussein al Hasani levelled for Muscat at 2-2, setting the tone for a fiercely contested opening. Said al Hasani then added Oman’s third as both sides continued to trade goals in an evenly matched first half.
Muscat moved ahead for the first time through Qais al Hasani, while Said al Hasani kept Oman in touch with key goals. Zakariya al Busaidy and Azzan al Maashari were influential for Muscat as the score stayed close at 11-11. A major turning point came in the 20th minute when Muscat’s Azzan al Maashari was sent off despite his strong performance.
Muscat still pressed on, with Zakariya al Busaidy scoring twice to open up a 13-11 lead, the first two-goal gap of the match. Said al Hasani reduced the deficit and later converted a seven-metre throw to make it 14-13 with four minutes left in the half. Oman then suffered a setback of their own when Abdulmalik Fadl was shown a red card after a VAR review in the 26th minute, before Muscat closed the half leading 16-15.
Muscat began the second half strongly and scored first to go 17-15 ahead, but Oman quickly regained its balance through Hamad al Dughaishi, who reduced the gap, before Al Azhar al Hadidi restored Muscat’s two-goal lead. Oman, however, showed the spirit of champions and levelled the score at 18-18 through back-to-back goals from Said al Hasani and Taher al Hadidi.
From that point, the match entered its decisive phase as both teams continued to exchange goals in a highly intense contest. Oman looked more solid defensively and more effective in taking its attacking chances, moving 29-26 ahead with five minutes remaining. Maher al Hadidi then strengthened Oman’s advantage by scoring the 30th goal, while Muscat attempted a late comeback through Asaad al Hasani, who cut the deficit with three minutes left.
In the closing minutes, Oman’s players managed the game well and preserved their advantage until the final whistle, sealing a 31-28 victory and claiming their fifth successive title and the 11th in the club’s history, once again confirming their status as one of the leading handball clubs in Oman.
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