RIYADH: Group A of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup concluded in dramatic fashion on Tuesday. With 10 minutes remaining in both games, it looked as though Iraq were destined to join the already-qualified Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals.

The Green Falcons were leading by two goals against the Iraqis, but it seemed that both teams would progress because in the other game, Oman was locked in a 1-1 draw with already-eliminated Kuwait. Fifteen minutes later, however, nobody was quite sure who would be joining the Kingdom in the next round.

In their third Gulf Cup meeting in four years, the Saudis triumphed 2-0 over Iraq in a tense encounter. Saudi Arabia had already secured their place in the semis with a 3-0 victory over Oman on Saturday, after winning their opening group game against Kuwait 1-0. Iraq needed only a point to advance; however, little sense urgency was evident as both teams eased into the game.

Meanwhile, Kuwait faced Oman, who still had some faint hopes of reaching the semi-finals for a third consecutive time: prior to kick-off, Oman were on one point with a goal difference of minus-3, while Iraq were on four points with a goal difference of plus-1.

The night did not start well for Oman, as they found themselves 1-0 down within six minutes when Shebaib Al-Khaldi headed home from a corner to open the scoring for the 10-time champions.

Meanwhile, tournament hosts Saudi Arabia claimed the lion’s share of possession in a slow first half at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, during which the teams managed only four attempts on goal between them, none of which were on target.

With Oman losing, there was little incentive for either side to overexert themselves, especially given the fact that Saudi Arabia were already without Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Hassan Kadesh through injury.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia began to dominate in the second half as the hosts rallied, their eyes on a possible perfect group stage record, instilling hope and confidence into fans who have been longing for an Arabian Gulf Cup title since 2004.

Sure enough, Abdullah Al-Salem opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a clearance by the Iraqi goalkeeper, Ahmed Basil, hit teammate Joseph Al-Imam before falling to Al-Salem, who put the ball into an open net.

A neat move produced the Saudis’ second in the 69th minute, when Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored his third goal in as many games against Iraq to seal the win.

Over at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, meanwhile, a much greater drama was unfolding. It began when Nasser Al-Rawahi equalized for Oman in the 65th minute, restoring some small measure of hope thanks to the favorable scoreline across the city. However, they still needed two more goals — then Al-Rawahi grabbed his second of the night to put them ahead in the 81st minute, before Musab Al-Shaqsy scored the all-important third goal three minutes later.

The 3-1 victory left Oman level with Iraq on points and goals, but with a very slightly better disciplinary record that would have given Oman the edge. During his goal celebration, however, Al-Shaqsy removed his shirt and earned himself, and his team, a yellow card — and with that, suddenly Oman and Iraq had identical records on every metric that could be used to separate them.

Confusion reigned when the final whistles had been blown in the two games; the Omani players were running around the stadium in celebration, while the Iraqis stood around waiting for what they feared would be official confirmation of their elimination.

With the two teams impossible to split, however, officials confirmed that, as specified by group stage tiebreaker rules published prior to the tournament, lots would be drawn later in the evening at a hotel in Jeddah to decide which team progressed and which were eliminated.

And so, after a nerve-wracking hour or so of post-match proceedings at the Intercontinental Hotel, lots were drawn and it was Oman who were chosen to progress, much to the delight of their fans and, no doubt, the relief of Al-Shaqsy.