A positive 1-1 draw overshadowed the confrontation that brought together the Iraqi and Omani teams, on Wednesday evening, in the first round of the first group of the Arabian Gulf Football Cup “Gulf 27”.
The opening match was held at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah amid a mediocre performance. The Iraqi team imposed its control and was the better side during the first half of the match, while the second half witnessed equal performance and high competition between the two sides, accompanied by many dangerous opportunities for both goals.
On the tactical and goals front, the Iraqi team succeeded in scoring early in the sixth minute thanks to player Mohammed Qasim, who scored the first goal of this edition of the tournament currently held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the second half, player Nasser Al Rawahi was able to turn the tide in favor of the Omani team in the 67th minute.
With this result, both teams earned their first point in the group stage, which also includes Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, sharing the match points and wasting two valuable points in their early struggle for the two qualification tickets to the knockout rounds of the tournament, whose competitions are hosted by the city of Jeddah.
In the second round of the same group competitions scheduled for next Saturday, the Iraqi team will meet its Kuwaiti counterpart, while the same round will witness a confrontation between the Omani and Saudi teams.
It is noteworthy that the tournament system stipulates that the first and second place holders in the group qualify for the semi-finals, with the tournament activities concluding on the 6th of next October.
