JEDDAH, 14 December 2004 — Oman brought down United Arab Emirates 2-1 yesterday for their second consecutive victory and a spot in the next round in the 17th Arabian Gulf Cup Football Tournament in Doha, Qatar. With six points from two matches having beaten Iraq 3-1, Oman are looking to qualify as the top team from Group A with either a win or a draw against Qatar.
UAE was first to score in the 45th minute of the first half following a costly error by an Omani defender who failed to clear the ball. UAE’s Fahad Masoud pounced on the mistake and slammed home the fist goal of the match before both teams went to halftime.
Oman came back strong in the second half and even more determined to change the course of the game. They succeeded to tie in the 72nd minute from a nice cross inside the penalty box by Hassan Mudhaffar, who did not waste a chance to score the first marker of Oman. Ratchetting up the pressure on the Emiratis, Oman hit the winner in the 85th minute from a strong shot from outside the penalty box by Bader Al-Maymani.
Bahrain play Kuwait in the first match today with the latter eyeing a win that would qualify them from Group B. Bahrain go into the match still smarting from a surprise draw by Yemen. In the second match, Saudi Arabia face a must-win game against Yemen after losing their opener against Kuwait last Saturday.
Lille Make Up Ground on Lyon; PSG Back to Winning
In Paris, Lyon’s lead at the top of the French league was cut to three points after they were held to a goalless draw at Bordeaux. But there was a ray of sunshine for Paris SG who clinched a 2-1 win at Sochaux on Sunday.
Portuguese hitman Pauleta was the hero for PSG and saved the job of coach Vahid Halilhodzic for at least another day as he bagged a first-half brace and lifted the capital side to 11th in the table.
Strikes in the 24th and 42nd minute did the damage as he became top scorer in France with 8 goals but Sochaux blew a chance to spark a comeback when Santos hit the post with a 66th minute penalty. Santos made up for his miss by nodding home with 15 minutes remaining but the PSG defence held firm including a match winning save by keeper Lionel Letizi in the dying seconds that preserved the victory.
Juve Maintain 4-Point Lead
In Italy, Juventus maintained their four-point lead at the top of Serie A after beating Bologna 1-0 thanks to a trademark free kick by Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved from just outside the area. Second-placed AC Milan crushed Fiorentina 6-0 at the San Siro. Inter Milan drew for a remarkable 12th time in 15 games with a late Christian Vieri strike giving them a 2-2 draw at lowly Siena.
