Riyadh: Saudi Arabia turned on the style against Oman at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday, racing into a three-goal win in their second Group A match of the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27”.
The hosts dominated the opening 45 minutes, repeatedly threatening the Omani goal and converting three of their opportunities to put themselves firmly in control of the contest.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, it was the first time Saudi Arabia had gone into half-time leading by three goals or more in an Arabian Gulf Cup match since the 2009 edition.
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The last such occasion came against Yemen on January 8, 2009, when Saudi Arabia led 5-0 at the interval before completing a commanding 6-0 victory.
That tournament would, however, end in disappointment for the Saudis after they met Oman in the final. The match finished goalless before Oman prevailed on penalties to lift the Gulf Cup title.
Saturday’s encounter therefore brought back memories of that meeting 17 years ago, with Saudi Arabia producing a dominant performance against their regional rivals.
The most recent occasion in any competition in which Saudi Arabia scored three goals before half-time also came against Yemen, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June 2021.
Saudi Arabia entered Saturday’s match after opening their Gulf 27 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Kuwait, while Oman began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Iraq.
The eight-team Gulf 27 tournament is being staged in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semifinals.
