JEDDAH, 9 January 2004, 9 January 2004 — Saudi Arabia emerged champions in the Gulf Soccer Championship with a clinical 2-0 victory over Yemen in Kuwait City yesterday. Though second-placed Bahrain and Qatar have still to round off their campaign in the 16th edition of the event, the results off their final engagements will prove to be of no consequence.
With yesterday’s victory, Saudi Arabia logged 14 points and Bahrain, with ten points, will not be able to catch them even if they beat Kuwait in their final match. With only the battle for the second slot remaining, Bahrain will be hoping to thwart Qatar from making a late run at the second spot.
Saudi Arabia had to contend with a slushy field against minnows Yemen. But the difference in class told on a day when heavy rain made play difficult. The players had trouble in finding their compatriots with short passes and the teams resorted to the long ball for the majority of the game in order to avoid the conditions on the ground that had made controlling and shooting a work of art.
Earlier, with the title at stake, Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, President of the Presidency of Youth Welfare, warned Saudi players not to underestimate the Yemeni team and exhorted them to play for a big win. And under the prevailing conditions, the Saudis did more than what was expected of them.
The game was dominated entirely by Saudis with the inexperience of the Yemen players being exposed in such tough conditions. The Yemenis packed their back line in a bid to beat back the repeated Saudi Arabian attacks. That they were successful early on was largely due to the muddy field.
But once the Saudis switched to the long ball mode their attack gained nip and they slowly began whittling down the Yemeni defense.
Saudi Arabia took the lead in the eighth minute when Yasir Al-Qahtani struck true. He received a nice high ball from Abdulaziz Al-Janouby and blasted home. The Saudis then sustained the pressure and Al-Qahtani secured the second goal in the 30th minute.
Once again he proved to be at the exact spot to head home cleanly. This time the high ball came from the right wing Ahmad Al-Dokhi found Yasir, who headed in to the far corner. With two goals in the kitty by first half, Saudi Arabia made changes by introducing Saeed Al-Wadiani and Abdullah Al-Waked, for striker Talal Al-Meshal and Omar Al-Ghamdi. Though Saudi Arabia continued their domination they had only one more chance that had a goal-look to it.
Earlier in first game, Kuwait’s hope of finishing in the top three was destroyed by Qatar, who embarrassed the hosts by winning 2-1. Kuwait had never lost to Qatar in Gulf Championships earlier.
Kuwait was first to score in the fourth minute through striker Bashar Abdullah, who headed home a free kick. Kuwait controlled the first 30 minutes of the match but the equalizer in the 40th minute literally turned the tide.
A swerving corner kick by Qatari Koni floated and jinked past a host of Kuwaitis clustered in front of their goal and eventually slipped past a rooted goalie, to leave the teams deadlocked at 1-1 at the interval.
In the second half, Qatar took advantage of a mistake by Kuwaiti defender Yousif Zayed, who in trying to clear a long overhead failed to connect, and then slipped on the muddy field to leave Mubarak Mustapha a clear field. With only the goalie to beat Mustapha made no mistake.
Bahrain, on 10 points and in second place, will face Kuwait, on 5 points and in fifth place, tomorrow. On the last day of the championship, the first game will be between UAE and Yemen and the second game Qatar against Oman.
United Go Clear as Arsenal Draw and Chelsea Lose
In London, Manchester United beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 to go three points clear in the Premier League on Wednesday as Arsenal were held 1-1 at Everton and Chelsea slumped to a surprise 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool, agencies add.
Goals from England midfielder Paul Scholes and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy earned champions United their victory at The Reebok, while a 75th-minute equalizer from Everton’s Canadian forward Tomasz Radzinski denied Arsenal all three points at Goodison Park.
Chelsea, who were beaten by Frenchman Bruno Cheyrou’s first-half goal, are now seven points off the title pace having lost three and drawn one of their last six league games. The results were all good news for Alex Ferguson’s United, who head the table with 49 points, ahead of second-placed Arsenal on 46. Chelsea stay third on 42.
Charlton Athletic are fourth on 31 points after Paolo Di Canio earned them a 1-1 draw with Manchester City but Liverpool and Newcastle United, who beat Leeds United 1-0 with a goal by skipper Alan Shearer, have now both closed to within two points on 29.
Manchester United confirmed their status as title favorites as Scholes and Van Nistelrooy, scoring his 14th league goal of the season, established a two-goal lead at the break.
Bolton finished strongly and French playmaker Youri Djorkaeff pulled one back in the 89th minute, but as their boss Sam Allardyce admitted: “It was down to our poor defending in the end...and that against Manchester United is criminal.”
Arsenal, whose 30-match unbeaten run was ended by Everton last season, lacked their usual sparkle at Goodison Park despite Nigerian forward Nwankwo Kanu giving them a first-half lead.
Their consolation, after Radzinski’s late equalizer, was to maintain their unbeaten start to this season, now 20 matches.
The real surprise, though, came at Stamford Bridge where Liverpool had lost their last eight games against Chelsea.
Shadow Real Side Claim 1-1 Cup draw at Eibar
In Madrid, a second-string Real Madrid side claimed a 1-1 draw away to second division Eibar in an entertaining King’s Cup third round, first leg clash on Wednesday
Real took the lead through Guti after 37 minutes, with Eibar equalizing with a Roberto Cuevas header in first-half injury time.
Eibar had the better chances throughout the game but could not find a second goal and had to settle for a result that will see Real go into next week’s second leg as strong favorites. Struggling Celta Vigo eased the pressure on coach Miguel Angel Lotina with a 1-0 win away to Malaga.
Celta, through to the knockout stage of the Champions League but in the relegation places in the Primera Liga, got the only goal nine minutes into the second half when Vagner cracked in a 25 meters shot via the bar.
In other all-first division ties, Real Zaragoza beat Real Betis 3-1 to give themselves a handy lead to take into the away leg next week, while Valencia drew 2-2 with Osasuna. Barcelona, looking for a good Cup run after a poor start to the league season, face a tricky game away to second division promotion favorites Levante.
Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz, denied the services of David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane because of injury, opted to do without most of the rest of his first team, with goalkeeper Iker Casillas the only regular making the starting lineup.
