Four teams chase Group 1 final spots in Junior

MUSCAT, AUG 22

The Group 1 semifinals of the 2026 Junior Hockey League will take place at Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat on Sunday, with Qurayat facing Al Bashayer at 6 pm before Seeb meet Al Amerat at 8 pm.

The two winners will advance to the Group 1 final after a preliminary stage dominated by Qurayat, who finished top with a perfect nine points. Al Amerat placed second with six points, Seeb took third with three, while Al Bashayer finished fourth without a point.

The semifinal pairings were confirmed after Friday’s final round of group matches, in which Al Amerat recorded a 5-0 victory over Al Bashayer, and Qurayat defeated Seeb 4-1.

Al Amerat began strongly against Al Bashayer and opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Al Abass Sulaiman, whose field goal gave his side a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

They strengthened their grip on the match with two goals in quick succession during the second quarter. Khazrag Sbit doubled the advantage in the 26th minute before Bader Salim made it 3-0 one minute later, giving Al Amerat a commanding lead at half-time.

Moheb Mohammed added the fourth goal in the 43rd minute, while Naif Ibrahim completed the scoring in the 52nd. Al Amerat also maintained their defensive discipline throughout the four quarters to register a second successive clean sheet.

Al Musannah defeated Masirah 3-0 in Group 2.

THIRD WIN FOR QURAYAT

In the second match, Qurayat completed the preliminary stage with a third consecutive victory after overcoming Seeb 4-1.

Following a goalless opening quarter, Saad Salim Hamed al Fazari broke the deadlock with a field goal in the 28th minute, sending Qurayat into half-time with a 1-0 advantage.

Qurayat then took control during the third quarter. Said bin Salim al Fazari converted a penalty corner in the 38th minute before Yaseen bin Hadeed al Alawi struck from open play one minute later to extend the lead to 3-0.

Said al Fazari scored his second goal of the match in the 51st minute to make it 4-0. Seeb continued pushing forward and were rewarded in the 59th minute when Mohammed Abdullah converted a penalty corner, but the late goal could not change the outcome.

Qurayat enter the opening semifinal with a perfect record, while Al Bashayer will be aiming to respond after a difficult preliminary campaign.

The second semifinal is a rematch of the group-stage encounter won 3-0 by Al Amerat. Seeb will be seeking a stronger response, while Al Amerat will look to carry the momentum of two consecutive victories into the contest.

In Group 2, Al Suwaiq secured a 3-0 win over Saham, while Al Musannah defeated Masirah by the same scoreline. Both winning teams combined attacking efficiency with clean sheets as the competition continued across the league’s different venues.