Oman crowned Gulf champions

Oman claimed the 19th Gulf Cup title on Saturday by beating Saudi Arabia 6-5 on penalties after a goalless draw.

كتب : Sherif Tarek

السبت، 17 يناير 2009 - 19:51
Oman claimed the 19th Gulf Cup title on Saturday by beating Saudi Arabia 6-5 on penalties after a goalless draw.

Although both sides couldn't score any goals over 120 minutes, the penalty shootout was quite exciting.

Each side scored their first five penalties, and then Saudi's TAisir Al-Gasem squandered his team's sixth.

Oman's Mohamed Rabie seized the opportunity and scored the last one to declare his country the Gulf champions for the first time ever.

The hosts deserved to be crowned champions, as they kept the upper hand throughout the game.

Ismail Al-Agami and Hassan Rabie could have struck the visitors twice, but their efforts were denied by the bar on 45 and 63 minutes respectively.

Facts

Oman's victory over Saudi Arabia is the first on the regional stage.

Beforehand, both teams met 12 times in other competitions, and the latter won on all occasions.

During the 19th Gulf Cup, neither Oman nor Saudi Arabia conceded any goals.

Oman finished runners-up in the previous two editions of the competitionby as they were beaten by then hosts Qatar and UAE respectively.