MUSCAT: Al Shabab reinforced their position near the top of the Jindal League standings after a convincing 3-0 home win over Saham at Seeb Stadium in a postponed Round 21 fixture, while Al Nahda claimed a valuable 1-0 victory over Samayil in a rescheduled Round 14 match at Nizwa Sports Complex.
Al Shabab needed little time to stamp their authority on the contest and opened the scoring in the ninth minute when defender Juma al Habsi rose to meet a corner delivered by Badr al Alawi and headed home to give the hosts an early advantage. The goal gave Al Shabab greater control of the first half, as they dictated possession and limited Saham’s attacking influence.
Saham tried to find a way back into the match, but their efforts lacked cutting edge and they were unable to create any real danger in front of goal. Al Shabab, meanwhile, remained the more threatening side and doubled their lead deep into first-half stoppage time.
In the third minute of added time, Maliko Kinyan raced through on goal after a fine through ball from Yousuf al Maliki, rounded the goalkeeper and calmly slotted the ball into the net to send his side into the break with a 2-0 cushion.
The home side maintained the same attacking approach after the interval and effectively ended the contest in the 55th minute. Kinyan won possession after dispossessing a Saham attacker and quickly released Hatem al Rushdi, who in turn set up Ahmed al Riyami. The forward found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, rounded him neatly and finished into the empty net to make it 3-0.
The result lifted Al Shabab to 44 points and moved them into second place, keeping them in close pursuit of leaders Seeb. Saham remained on 21 points in 10th place.
AL NAHDA STRIKE LATE
In the other match, Al Nahda secured a narrow but important 1-0 win over Samayil in a postponed Round 14 encounter. Al Nahda were the stronger side in the first half, pressing high and controlling much of the play, while Samayil relied mainly on quick counter-attacks.
The visitors created better chances early on, with Jamal al Wahshi going close in the sixth minute after a pass from Muhannad al Harthy, before Amjad al Harthy missed another good opening in the 16th minute after being set up by foreign player Kemba Odefi. Samayil offered little going forward, although Hazza al Balushi appealed for a penalty at one stage, only for the claim to be waved away after a VAR review.
Al Nahda continued in the same vein after the break, with Samayil still struggling to trouble the goal. The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute when Mohammed Faraj rose to head home from a free-kick delivered by Harib al Saadi.
That goal proved enough to secure all three points for Al Nahda, who moved up to 41 points in fourth place. Samayil, meanwhile, remained on 22 points in eighth after suffering a fourth defeat in their last five matches, with only one win during that run.
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