Oman edge Somalia on penalties to qualify for FIFA Arab Cup

MUSCAT: Oman overcame a gritty Somalia to advance to the main round of the FIFA Arab Cup pn Wednesday. 

Coached by Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, the Red Warriors edged Somalia 4-1 in a penalty shootout at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, after the teams ended regulation time goalless. 

Oman now join the group comprising Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Comoros. 

The FIFA Arab Cup main round will be played from December 1-18.

Sitting at 201 on the FIFA World Ranking at the time of the FIFA Arab Cup draw, Somalia pushed Oman all the way to penalties on the second and final day of qualifiers.

Oman's win brushed off the disappointment of narrowly failing to secure a FIFA World Cup slot in October’s fourth round of AFC qualifiers

In front of a lively crowd at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Oman’s Nasser Al Rawahi had the best of the limited early chances, seeing a first-half effort well blocked and then flashing a shot across the face of the Somalia goal early in the second term.

Somalia entered the clash in a modest vein of form but came within inches of breaking the deadlock as captain Abdulsamed Abdullahi forced Ibrahim Al Mukhaini into a smart save as the hour approached.

That was the end of the clear-cut chances as the contest went straight to penalties, where both teams opted to make a goalkeeper change just as regulation time expired.

It was Oman’s Ibrahim Al Rajhi who played a starring role, saving the first and third spot-kicks and then watching on as Mohammed Al Ghafri converted the fourth to secure his nation a place in Group B alongside Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Comoros.

Also on Wednesday, Comoros pulled off a comeback for the ages to defeat Yemen on penalties 4-2 and advance to the group stage of the Arab Cup.

A dramatic day to conclude the FIFA Arab Cup qualifiers saw Bahrain and Sudan also record victories with narrow wins over Lebanon and Djibouti respectively. 

Bahrain squeezed past Djibouti while it was also a triumphant day for Sudan, who defeated Lebanon despite playing with ten for most of the way.