Qatar edge past Oman in Gulf Cup

Qatar win with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Oman on Tuesday to claim their first victory of the 21st Gulf Cup being played in Bahrain. Substitute Mohamed Elsayed scored two minutes from full time to lift his side to the victory, which threw the semi-final race wide open in a highly competitive Group A. The three points were the first for the Qataris who had lost their opening match to the UAE, while Oman suffered their first defeat and remained on one point after their draw with hosts Bahrain. Khalfan Ibrahim put Qatar ahead in the 54th minute when he scored on a spot kick; but another penalty scored by substitute Hussain Al Hadhri leveled the contest for Oman in the 71st. Division leaders UAE (three points from one match) and hosts Bahrain (one point from one match) were scheduled to play in Tuesday's late match. Oman were dominating the contest up until Ibrahim's penalty and were unlucky not to have scored with the chances they had in the opening half. Two of their best opportunities came from skipper Fawzi Bashir and Abdulaziz Mubarak. Bashir's chance from an acute angle in the fourth minute went straight at Qatari goalkeeper Qasem Abdulhamed. Then, five minutes from half-time, Mubarak had his effort from close range brilliantly parlayed by Abdulhamed. After the re-start, it was Oman who were once again the first to threaten, and a goal headed home by Eid Al Farsi was disallowed by the referee as the Omani talent was clearly in an off-side position. That paved the way moments later for the match's first penalty. An Ibrahim shot from inside the area made contact with the forearm of Oman's Mohammed Salem as he tried to block the ball, and match referee Mukhtar Saleh from Yemen did not hesitate to point to the spot. Ibrahim slotted the ball home into the bottom-left corner of goal, just powerful enough to beat the outstretched arm of Oman goalkeeper Mazin A Kasbi. With 20 minutes remaining in the game, it was Oman’s turn to be awarded a penalty. Oman's Juma Darwish was taken down in the box by Qatar's Ibrahim Majed as Ibrahim was about to collect a pass. The whistle blew, and Al Hadhri stepped up to take the penalty. He kicked it directly into the left of goal while Abdulhamed went the other way. The final turn of the match came in the 88th minute when an unmarked Elsayed latched onto a free-kick from the right of the pitch and slotted the ball home for the winner. Hasan Khalid provided the crucial assist, and his curling pass was met perfectly by Elsayed.Source : QNA