Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Sur crowned HM Cup champs

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Substitute Ayman al Mukhaini’s 95th minute extra-time winner propelled Sur to a stunning 2-1 victory over favourites Fanja and catapulted them to their fourth His Majesty’s Cup football title at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat on Thursday.


Mohammad Mubarak al Nagashi’s (36th) first-half goal gave Fanja the early advantage but it was cancelled out by Juma al Jammi’s 83rd minute equaliser.


Ayman’s, who came in for Hisham al Shuaibi, close-in goal sealed the historic fourth crown for Sur in what was a roller coaster day for them. Sur’s last three HM Cup titles came in 1973, 1992 and 2007.


Earlier, Fanja and Sur had started proceedings in a slow, cautious manner. Both teams were struggling to gain possession and hold the ball.


Abdulaziz al Ghilani and the vastly experienced Juma Darwish were in the thick of things for Sur.


The duo attempted to make forays and push the ball deep into the Fanja defence.


Meanwhile, Al Nawras al Farsi and Naseeb al Ghilani trusted themselves forward in the 11th minute with an attacking manoeuvre.


It was a battle of the midfield that was on display as the two sides jostled for superiority.


In the 23rd minute, Sur’s Hisham al Shuaibi was injured after a collision with a Fanja player.


Sur got pretty close in the 35th minute when Juma Darwish’s shot in the 35th minute was wide off the far post. However, the big moment for Fanja came in the 36th minute when Mohammad Mubarak al Nagash smashed a free kick to open the account for the nine-time champions.


With 1-0 up, the Fanja attack was relentless for the rest of the half.


Al Nawras al Farsi kept pounding the Sur defence with his shots from either side of the field.


At half-time, Fanja were expectedly the happy and relieved lot having found the much needed goal, while Sur had to dig up their reserves to make a match of the game.


After the commencement of the second half, Sur were eyeing the equaliser to make a comeback into the game. Long balls and precision passes were the norm at the beginning of the half and Sur were eager to get even.


In the 56th minute, Hisham al Shuaibi’s tap-in was brilliantly parried by Fanja custodian Mazin al Hasani as Sur’s close effort was thwarted.


Sur had a couple of corners coming their way in the 67th minute that were wasted away.


Juma Darwish blasted a shot over the crosspiece in the 72nd minute that for a moment had goal written on it, but not to be.


The game was slipping away from Sur and they had to make something happen and soon.


In their last-ditch attempt to salvage the game, Sur make a substitution by bringing in Ayman al Mukhaini for Hisham al Shuaibi in the 77th minute.


In the 83rd minute, Juma al Jammi netted the equaliser for Sur after a defensive lapse from Fanja.


The goal saw the stadium erupt to the chants of the delirious Sur fans.


As the match went into extra time, Sur’s hopes were surely raised and they rose to the occasion as Ayman al Mukhaini tapped in from close to make it 2-1.


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