RIYADH, 28 January — Favorites Saudi Arabia outclassed Oman 2-0 in a thrilling match here yesterday as the hosts kept their Gulf Cup hopes alive. The Saudis now have to beat the Qatari side in their last match in order to inscribe their name on the trophy.

Hassan Al-Yami fired home the first goal in the 11th minute, while substitute Abdullah Al-Wakid completed the scoring on 79th minute as Saudi Arabia took their points tally to 10 from four matches, just two behind leaders Qatar.

The World Cup finalists, who dominated the ground throughout the game with their brilliant soccer displays, had stepped up pressure on the Omani goal front. They missed several golden chances.

Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar, who attributed the win to good team work, said: “We did make some mistakes, and I hope to correct them before our final match against Qatar.”

He also praised the Omanis for a fine performance. “The Omanis have improved and they have some very talented players,” he said. If the Kingdom fail to win on Wednesday then Qatar, who were victorious in all the matches, will be crowned champions of the six-nation tournament.

Earlier, an injury-time strike by forward Salman Eissa gave 10-man Bahrain a hard-fought 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates. Bahrain, who have four points from as many matches, were reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute when Saudi referee Yousuf Al-Akeely sent off goalkeeper Abdul Karim for tripping Hayder Ali. But UAE failed to exploit their advantage.

Bahrain had taken the lead through Hussain Ali in the 38th minute but UAE, who were more organized in the second half, equalized through Abdul Rahman Ibrahim who converted a free kick with a powerful right-foot shoot in the 77th minute. Bahrain saw off a late rally from UAE before scoring the winner through Eissa. “The victory was important for us,” Bahrain coach Wolfgang Sidka said. “We were a bit unlucky to get a red card, but what can be done,” he said.

Gulf Cup Standings

P W D L F A Pts

1. Qatar 4 4 0 0 6 1 12

2. Saudi Arabia 4 3 1 0 7 2 10

3. Bahrain 4 1 1 2 3 5 4

4. Oman 4 1 0 3 4 6 3

5. UAE 4 1 0 3 2 5 3

6. Kuwait 4 0 2 2 2 5 2