Oman beat Saudi Arabia to qualify for Gulf Cup semi finals

Kuwait City:Two second-half goals from Oman against Saudi Arabia were enough to see the Sultanate through to the semi-finals of the 2017 Arabian Gulf Cup on Thursday.
A brace from Said Salim – who struck the opener in the 58^th minute before adding a second in the 77^th saw Oman ease past the Saudis – who were billed to win the tournament as one of the favourites – and top the group with six points from three games, above the UAE, who also progressed to the semis after they finished second with five points.
The Saudis, on the other hand, will be going home empty handed, as they exit Group A alongside hosts Kuwait.
Pim Verbeek’s men started slow, but grew into the game as the men in red realised what was on the line. With tournament favourites Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as hosts Kuwait in their group, Oman had little expectations of progress, but the Sultanate will now proudly progress to the semis of the Gulf Cup.
A first half saw both sides cancel each other moves, in an encounter that was remembered only for a yellow card handed out to Saudi Arabia’s Nouh Al Mousa.
There had been plenty of commitment shown from the Omanis, and when Said Salim was brought on just three minutes into the second half for Abdulaziz Al Muqbali, few expected the game to take shape the way it did.
But Salim was keen to make the most of his appearance off the bench, and how: he showed an icy calm in front of goal to beat Saudi goalkeeper Assaf Al Qarni, and now that Oman did have their tails up, they scented blood and decided to go for a second goal to further cement their lead.
Saudi’s Argentine boss Juan Antonio Pizzi – who has previously managed Spanish club side Valencia CF, as well as Chile’s National Football Team – also knew that the Green Falcons needed at least a draw to progress, and flung on Ahmed Al Fraidi for Ali Al Nemer, and Hattan Bhabhir for Jaber Mustafa.
Bhabhir’s first notable act of the game was to pick up a yellow card in the 71^st minute, just six minutes after coming on, and nothing seemed to be going the way of the Saudis.
Things only got worse for them when Said Salim once again took full opportunity of some slack defending to once again beet keeper Al Qarni and put Oman 2-0 up, readily converting Mahmoud Mabrook’s assists, just a minute after the latter had come on, sparking wild celebrations among the Sultanate’s players and fans.
Pizzi threw on Mohammed Kanoo for Saleh Al Jamaan, as the match entered the last few minutes of regulation time, and when Verbeek brought off goalscorer Salim so that he could receive his richly-deserved ovation from the assembled faithful, Oman knew they had crossed a major hurdle en route to the finals of this prestigious tournament.
Oman could face one of Iraq, Bahrain or Qatar in the semis, on the basis of how games in Group B – which are to be played tomorrow – pan out. Yemen are already eliminated and cannot progress.