Qatar falls to Oman in second Gulf Cup group stage clash

KUWAIT: The Qatari national team lost 2-1 to Oman in their second Group A match of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, held at Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Stadium in Kuwait.

Qatar opened the scoring early, with Almoez Ali finding the net in the 2nd minute. Oman equalised through Issam Al-Sobhi, who converted a penalty in the 20th minute, and then scored the winner in the 52nd minute. The result leaves Oman with 4 points, while Qatar remains on 1 point.

Qatar started strongly, taking the lead when Ibrahim Al-Hassan delivered a long pass to Almoez Ali, who broke into the box and slotted the ball past the keeper. Oman responded shortly after, earning a penalty following a foul by Lucas Mendes. Al-Sobhi made no mistake, leveling the score in the 20th minute.

The rest of the first half saw both teams trade possession without creating clear chances, ending 1-1.

In the second half, Oman pressed for a second goal and broke through in the 52nd minute. Ali Al-Busaidi delivered a precise cross that Al-Sabhi finished into the net, capitalizing on a defensive lapse.

Qatar pushed for an equalizer, with substitutes adding energy to the attack. Abdurrahman Mohamed sent in a cross that Almoez Ali headed narrowly wide in the 69th minute. Later, Abdurrahman’s powerful strike hit the post in the 87th minute, and Almoez missed another chance in stoppage time, sending a close-range header just wide.

Despite Qatar’s late efforts, the match ended 2-1 in Oman’s favour.