Oman surprised Iraq and tied with them on points and goals in the 27th Gulf Cup and was forced to draw a lottery

Oman achieved a huge surprise, and was able to equal Iraq in points and goals in the first group of the 27th Gulf Cup tournament in Jeddah, forcing the Mesopotamian Lions to participate in a draw in a Jeddah hotel on Tuesday evening to determine who qualifies with the Saudi team to the semi-finals of the tournament.

This came after it beat Kuwait 3-1 in the third and final round of the first group matches, which witnessed the third victory for Saudi Arabia, as it beat Iraq 2-0.

The Oman national team's chance of qualifying had declined significantly at the end of the second round, but it turned an early goal deficit against Kuwait into an exciting victory, benefiting from a brace scored by Nasser Al Rawahi and a third goal from Musab Al Shaqsi.

Kuwait opened the scoring early when Shabib Al-Khalidi headed towards the ball from a corner kick and put it into the net with a skillful touch.

Oman equalized in the 65th minute, when Jamil Al Yahmadi sent a pass towards the penalty area to Al Rawahi, who shot a creeping ball that deceived the defense and found its way into the net.

Oman took the lead in the 81st minute with Al-Rawahi’s second goal, who received a pass from Zaher Al-Aghbari and shot the ball powerfully into the goal.

Three minutes later, Musab Al Shaqsi added Oman's third goal when he received the ball from a corner kick and headed it into the net.

The Saudi national team took the lead in the first group of the 27th Gulf Cup tournament in Jeddah, with a full mark, after its exciting victory over Iraq 2-0 in the final round of the group qualifiers.

The Greens will face “next Saturday” in the semi-finals, the runner-up of the second group in the tournament, which will be decided on Wednesday through the match between the UAE and Qatar.

Al-Akhdar raised its score to 9 points after defeating Kuwait 1-0, Oman 3-0, and Iraq 2-0, respectively.

After its victory over Kuwait 3-1, Oman will have to wait for a draw between itself and Iraq (4 points each) to decide who qualifies for the semi-finals, which will be held on Tuesday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia's two goals came against Iraq in the second half, scored by Abdullah Al Salem and Abdullah Al Hamdan.

The Gulf Football Association affirmed its continued and permanent support for the President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, and will continue this support during the coming period.

In an official statement, the Gulf Federation praised the role played by Infantino in leading the International Federation and supporting the process of developing football at various levels.

Infantino was subjected to severe criticism after presenting his plan to privatize the commercial rights of FIFA tournaments, most notably the World Cup, which prompted him to withdraw from it a few days after presenting the idea last July.

The European Football Association (UEFA) is leading the attack on Infantino and the attempt to oust the FIFA president, who has held his position since 2016.

It is noteworthy that Infantino will run in the FIFA presidential elections for the fourth time next March, while his rivals have a deadline of November 18 to propose an alternative candidate.