Oman succumb to narrow UAE defeat in 2017 Gulf Cup

Kuwait City: Oman fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against the neighbouring United Arab Emirates in their opening game of the 2017 Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations.
An Ali Mabhkhout penalty was the difference between the two sides, and despite committing more resources forward as the game wore on, the result sees Oman drop to the bottom of Group A after Saudi Arabia beat hosts Kuwait 2-1 in the tournament’s opening game.
Little pressure was expected to fall on Oman’s shoulder, which means they could turn the spotlights focused on their opponents to their advantage, but the Sultanate now does have an uphill task ahead of them, with their next game against Kuwait on the 25th of December potentially proving to be a make or break encounter.
Both sides began tentatively, choosing to get to grips with the tournament conditions before committing men forward to attack.
With veteran Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi not selected for the tournament, Oman coach Pim Verbeek entrusted the safety of the goal to Faiyz Al Rashdi.
Oman’s next game is against hosts Kuwait on the 25th of December at 9pm Oman time,, while the UAE face Saudi Arabia just two and a half hours before that to set the stage for a very interesting last round of matches.
In addition, Group B kicks off underway this evening, with Qatar facing Yemen at 630, followed by Iraq’s game against Bahrain at 9pm.