MUSCAT, SEPT 7
Al Nasr claimed the southern derby with a 2-1 win over Dhofar at Al Saada Sports Complex on Sunday, while defending champions Seeb and Oman Club maintained their perfect starts in the second round of the Jindal League. Sohar also registered their first victory of the season after edging Fanja 1-0 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
After two rounds, Seeb lead the standings on goal difference with six points, five goals scored and one conceded. Al Nasr sit second with six points, followed by Oman Club and Al Nahda, who also have maximum points from their opening two matches. Ibri and Sohar follow on four points, while Al Shabab, Saham and Samayil are on three.
In Salalah, Dhofar made an ideal start to the derby when Liberian forward Abu Kamara headed in Mutaz Saleh’s corner in the third minute past Al Nasr goalkeeper Ibrahim al Rajhi. Al Nasr gradually worked their way back into the contest, although they had a nervous moment in the 29th minute when Mohammed al Mashari was shown a red card before the decision was reviewed through VAR and changed to a yellow.
Al Nasr made the most of that reprieve and levelled in the 39th minute through Gabonese forward Romis Aissogo, who finished from inside the area after a quick counter-attack. The turnaround was completed in first-half stoppage time as Malian midfielder Noumory Keita scored the second goal, sending Al Nasr into the interval 2-1 ahead.
The second half remained open, with Dhofar pushing for an equaliser and Al Nasr looking dangerous on transitions. Abu Kamara forced another important save from Ibrahim al Rajhi, while Mazen al Kasbi kept Dhofar alive at the other end with key stops. Al Nasr, however, stayed compact until the final whistle to secure a second straight win.
At Seeb Stadium, Seeb continued their title defence with a composed 2-0 victory over Sur. Axel Meye gave the champions an early lead in the sixth minute with a headed finish, continuing his strong start to the campaign after scoring twice in the opening round against Bahla. Seeb controlled large spells of the match before Nasser al Rawahi sealed the result in the 63rd minute.
Oman Club also made it two wins from two after defeating Al Musannah 1-0 at Al Rustaq Sports Complex. Abdullah al Balushi scored the only goal in the 45th minute, giving Oman Club another important result after their opening 2-0 win over Dhofar. The Muscat side have now completed 180 minutes without conceding.
Sohar completed Sunday’s winners list by beating Fanja 1-0 through Ibrahim al Raqadi’s 82nd-minute goal. The result lifted Sohar to four points and kept their clean-sheet record intact, while Fanja remained bottom without a point or a goal after two matches.
The early picture has already created a compact race at the top, with four clubs on six points and two more unbeaten sides close behind. For Dhofar, Sur, Al Musannah, Bahla and Fanja, the third round now carries added pressure after back-to-back defeats.
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