The Qatari national team and their Omani counterpart are aiming for victory when they meet on Tuesday at the Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium, and the same goes for host teams UAE and Kuwait when they clash on Tuesday at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. second round of the first group competitions of the Gulf Football Cup.
The four teams are tied with the same score of points and goals after Qatar drew with the Emirates and Kuwait with Oman with the same score (1-1) in the first round last Saturday. The three points of the second round will therefore be identical. very important, given that they will advance their owner to the semi-finals while the loser will face a difficult task in the final round.
🇴🇲 Issam Al-Sobhi – Youssef Nasser 🇰🇼
🇶🇦Akram Afif – Yahya Al-Ghassani 🇦🇪
Those who have day one goals #Gulf_Zain26 ✅⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sKjD3VDdJg
– Khaleeji Zain 26 (@KhaleejiZain) December 21, 2024
Burgundy and Omani
Qatar’s Spanish coach Luis Garcia said: “We played perfectly in the first match against the strong UAE team. The players played well and showed great tactical maturity in dealing with details.”
He added: “The next confrontation is completely different, and we will capitalize on the achievements that have been made, especially for the young players who were on time, and we will strive to offer the best possible level in search of victory”.
Coach “Annabi” relies on the duo Afif and Al-Moez Ali, in addition to a young combination given the absence of players like Khoukhi Boualem, Edmilson Junior, Abdelkarim Hassan and Abdelaziz Hatem, excluded by the Coach Garcia, who succeeded his compatriot “Titin” Marques Lopes since December 11.
For their part, the Omani team was on the verge of overturning the deficit and claiming victory over the host, settling for a draw after a second half that saw plenty of upside for the Omani players. coach Rashid Jaber.
Jaber said: “We were looking for victory, and we played for all three points, and we were close to achieving our goal, but opening matches always have their own characteristics and implications.”
The Oman national team boasts a group of distinguished players, such as Jamil Al Yahmadi, Haris Al Saadi and Issam Al Subhi.
Youssef Nasser’s goal wins Zain’s shot for Kuwait-Oman match 👌#Gulf_Zain26 | @ZainKuwait pic.twitter.com/aNZLjGui3U
– Khaleeji Zain 26 (@KhaleejiZain) December 21, 2024
The Emirates and the path to victories
In the second match, the United Arab Emirates are looking for their first victory in the Gulf Championship after a series of 4 matches in which they have not tasted victory.
“Al-Abyad” bid farewell to the last edition in Iraq in the group stage with 3 defeats, and drew with Qatar 1-1 at the start of its campaign in the current edition, bringing its series to 4 matches without a victory.
The United Arab Emirates performed well against Qatar, despite the draw, and had the most chances and dominated the events without resulting in a victory that gave them the advantage in the first group, considered the one of the candidates to win one of his two qualifying cards for the semi-finals.
In complete control 👌
Yahya Al-Ghassani, with all his creativity, scored Al-Abyad’s first goal #Gulf_Zain26 This way 🔝 pic.twitter.com/MkPid3SPfu
– Khaleeji Zain 26 (@KhaleejiZain) December 22, 2024
Their Portuguese coach, Paulo Bento, said after the match against Qatar: “We were on the verge of winning, and our chances were the most abundant and the most dangerous, and we did not take advantage of them. Qatar’s goal came from a defensive organizational error that resulted in. a penalty. Honestly, I’m happy with the performance, but in terms of result, we deserved to win, and in the end we got the victory.
He added: “We have to prepare for the next match (against Kuwait) by preparing and recovering after the great effort the team gave in the first match.”
Winger Yahya Al-Ghassani, who won the best player award in the last match, said: “Against Kuwait, we will do everything possible to compensate and achieve victory, and compete strongly for the Gulf title. “
The “Shabab Al-Ahly” player equalized against Qatar after dribbling past two defenders and then shooting past goalkeeper Mishal Barshim. He was also the most likely to create chances, taking advantage of his speed and technical skills.