In a thrilling encounter at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia came from behind to win their Asian Cup Group F opener against Oman 2-1.
The game was played in front of a packed stadium with fans from both sides providing a boisterous atmosphere.
The match was a closely contested affair with both sides fighting hard for a win.
Oman took the lead against the run of play in the 14th minute when Saudi Arabia took a poor corner and the Omani team countered at speed.
As they entered the box, defender Hassan Al-Tambakti clipped Muhsen Al-Ghassani, and a penalty was awarded after a VAR review.
Salaah Al-Yahyaei stepped up to score with a confident finish down the middle to draw a massive roar that echoed inside the cavernous arena.
The Saudis struggled to break through Oman’s disciplined defense, and on the rare occasion when they did, they wasted their opportunities with shots that did not find the target.
Oman, on the other hand, was restricted to counter-attacks with Al-Yahyaei leading the charge and creating chances, but he had no support in the final third, and they spurned golden opportunities to score a second.
The first half ended with Oman leading 1-0, and Saudi Arabia’s coach Roberto Mancini cut a frustrated figure near his dugout.
However, his halftime team talk seemed to do the trick, and his players came out with renewed vigor in search of an equalizer.
The second half was a different story as the Saudis upped the ante and dominated possession.
They created numerous chances and came close to scoring on several occasions.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb, in particular, was a constant threat, and it was he who scored the equalizer in the 77th minute.
He dribbled past four Oman defenders before finishing calmly to get the Saudis singing again.
The game seemed to be heading for a draw until the sixth minute of stoppage time when Ali Al-Bulayhi scored with a close-range header from a set-piece to give Saudi Arabia a dramatic win.
Although the linesman’s flag went up for offside, VAR came to the rescue and awarded the goal.
Al-Bulayhi, who celebrated the winner by inflating a green balloon near the corner flag, said, “The goal is a gift to the Saudi people. This is what great players do.”
The victory takes Saudi Arabia level on three points with Thailand, who beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in the other Group F encounter earlier in the day when Supachai Chaided scored either side of halftime.
Oman coach Branko Ivankovic admitted that Saudi Arabia deserved the victory: “We wanted to score a second goal for the players to feel comfortable. But towards the end, we didn’t have options.”
The green corner of the stadium erupted when their players celebrated while Oman was left to wonder what could have been.
