ABU DHABI, 18 January 2007 — The United Arab Emirates suffered a major shocking defeat from Oman in front of its cheering fans in the opening Group A match of the 18th Gulf Cup tournament that was inaugurated here yesterday by President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan.
Oman’s strikers Fawzi Bachir and Imad Al-Housani scored in the 37th and 50th minutes of the match while the only goal of UAE came in the 63rd minute by Ismael Matar.
The UAE squad displayed its domination in the most parts of the first half as it was better organized when the Omani team had gone defensive as a result of continuing onslaughts from UAE strikers but relaying on fast counterattacks.
However, most of the attacks launched by UAE strikers were not effective as they met with a strong and well-organized Omani defense line. UAE’s problems started in the 26th minute of the first half when Hilal Saeed was sent out showing a red card for foul play against Fawzi Bachir.
The absence of Saeed negatively affected UAE’s performance. Omanis exploited the situation and gained control of the match and forced the UAE team to play on the defensive. The UAE tried to score an equalizer but all their efforts went in vain. Oman will face Kuwait while UAE will play against Yemen in the second match on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Yemen shocked sport critics when they held the 11-time champion, Kuwait, to a 1-1 draw in the second match of the same group. Ali Al-Omki of Yemen was the first to score in the 16th minute of the first half, giving his team a 1-0 lead over Kuwait. The Kuwaiti team dominated the match as they continuously attacked the Yemeni goal but all their attempts were foiled by Yemeni defenders and the goalkeeper.
Kuwait strikers had got several chances to score an equalizer but they failed to convert them into goals. Luck finally smiled at Kuwait when they won an equalizer through a penalty kick by Badr Al-Mutawa. Kuwait pushed forward after taking full total control of the match in search of a winning goal but were unlucky. The referee of the match sent out Musaid Nada in the 89th minute for hard tackle. The referee added six minutes injury time but were not enough for Kuwait to score a goal and secure three points. Both teams received one point each. Oman now tops the group with 3 points, Yemen and Kuwait are second with one point each and UAE are at the bottom with no points. Saudi Arabia will open Group-B matches today with a crucial match with Bahrain while Qatar with play against Iraq in the second match of the day.
