MUSCAT: The opening day of round 22 in the Jindal League saw leaders Seeb maintain their strong hold on top spot, while important movement continued across the rest of the standings with only four rounds left in the season.
Seeb strengthened their position at the summit after defeating Al Rustaq 4-2 at Al Rustaq Sports Complex, moving to 57 points. The leaders once again showed their attacking quality, with Nasser al Rawahi, Omar al Maliki, Musaab al Shaqsi and Omar al Fazari all finding the net. Al Rustaq replied through Jaira Jov and Omar al Salti, but the defeat left them rooted to the bottom of the table on 11 points, further complicating their survival hopes.
Al Nahda advances
At Al Buraimi Sports Complex, Al Nahda continued their positive run with a narrow 1-0 victory over Dhofar. Mohammed al Ghafri scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute, handing his side three valuable points in the race for the upper positions. The win lifted Al Nahda to 38 points in fourth place, while Dhofar remained on 21 points in ninth.
Al Khabourah claim wins
Al Khabourah also secured an important result after a 2-0 win over Samayil at Nizwa Sports Complex. The breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Saeed Obeid controlled a pass from Zakariya al Qurtobi before sending a low shot into the net. John Rashford sealed the victory in the 84th minute after a fine dribble and powerful finish. The result moved Al Khabourah up to 20 points in 11th place, while Samayil stayed on 22 points in eighth, still within reach of the teams battling near the lower end of the table.
Ibri move up
Ibri moved a step closer to safety with a valuable 2-1 away win over Saham at Sohar Sports Complex. Saham took the lead in the 18th minute through Cameroonian forward Amy Marceline, who headed home a cross from Mohammed Ryan Bahlouli. Ibri responded in the 36th minute when Bisan Jacques capitalised on a scramble inside the box to level the score.
The second half saw both coaches make a series of changes in search of better control and greater attacking threat. Ibri threatened from a free-kick early in the half before the game turned into an evenly balanced contest. The decisive moment came in the 76th minute when Augusti Malo scored Ibri’s second goal, giving the visitors the lead for the first time in the match. Saham pushed forward in search of an equaliser in the closing stages, but Ibri held firm to secure all three points. The victory lifted Ibri to 20 points in 12th place, cutting the gap to Saham to just one point, with the latter remaining 10th on 21 points.
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