The Saudi national team snatched victory over its rival, Oman, with a score of (2-1) in the first round of the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, which is being held in the State of Qatar.

Salah Al-Yahyaei scored the lead goal for Al-Ahmar in the 14th minute from a penalty kick, and Al-Akhdar equalized with the feet of Abdul Rahman Gharib in the 78th minute after a special dribble, and Ali Al-Bulaihi added the second in the 96th minute.

The Thailand national team is at the top of the Group Six standings with 3 points, shared with Saudi Arabia, and the Kyrgyz national team is at the bottom of the standings without points on goal difference from Oman.

 Green disorientation

The first five minutes witnessed a physical rush by both teams to possess the ball, with an exchange of balls and a relative advantage for the Greens in terms of the number of passes.

By the seventh minute, Saudi Arabia intensified its presence in the middle of the Omani team’s field, taking advantage of the tactical freedom of both sides thanks to the formation of coach Mancini, which prompted Branko Ivankovic to pull his players back and rely on quick counter-attacks on the flanks, which paid off early with organized passes on the flanks. The right side and a cross into the heart of the penalty area ended in a penalty kick for Mohsen Al-Ghassani after intervention by Hassan Timbukti and giving him a yellow card after the referee returned to video technology.

Salah Al-Yahyaei succeeded in converting the penalty kick into the net in the 14th minute after he calmly placed the ball in the middle of the goal while goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar went to the left.

The Saudi national team had nearly 60% possession after the goal, with offensive attempts being organized across the sides, most notably by Al-Dosari’s feet in the 21st minute, which found goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini, and the following attempts represented a real risk in light of Al-Akhdar’s inability to secure empty spaces on the counters.

Al-Akhdar resorted to shooting weapons from outside the area to decode Oman’s defense, most notably with the feet of Sami Al-Naji in the 30th minute, and Nasser Al-Dosari in the 32nd minute, so the minutes passed without anything new.

Complete transformation

The second half was no different from the end of the first half, as Al-Akhdar intensified its offensive attempts and forward pressure in the face of a red defensive bloc and waited for counterattacks.

Saudi Arabia relied on shooting from outside the penalty area, while diversifying play between left and right in search of crosses and runs by Saud Abdel Hamid.

The Omani team carried out the counterattack in a controlled manner on more than one occasion, most notably by the feet of Salah Al Yahyai, ​​who was prevented by the crossbar from hugging the net.

Abdul Rahman Ghareeb succeeded in exploiting his individual skill, penetrating the Red defense and scoring the equalizer in the 78th minute with a special shot. The equalizer opened the door for the Greens to increase pressure and offensive appearance due to moral motivations and the difficulty of executing rebounds from the Omani team.

The Saudi offensive attempts did not result in anything new in light of the defensive intensity of the Omani team and the focus of goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini, except in the 96th minute with a goal by Ali Al-Bulaihi, whose health was confirmed after returning to video technology.