Riyadh: Defending champions UAE were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Oman in their opening Gulf Cup group game at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium here on Friday.
Esmail Al Hammadi had three great chances to break the deadlock for the Whites, but Oman, buoyed by the return of record five-time tournament golden glove-winning keeper Ali Al Habsi, did enough to secure a point.
The Whites had been considered big favourites coming into this tie with ten wins to Oman’s three in 18 previous Gulf Cup meetings. Instead, they recorded a disappointing sixth draw with the sultanate, rendering the next two group games against ten-times champions Kuwait and 2013 runners-up Iraq crucial.
There is still hope for the UAE, however. The last time these two sides met in a Gulf Cup opener, Oman similarly frustrated the UAE with a shock 2-1 win in Abu Dhabi in 2007, before the UAE duly reversed that with a 1-0 win over Oman in the final of the same tournament. Whether they can recover to retain their title in similar fashion remains to be seen.
A run down the wing from Al Hammadi and a quick one-two with Abdul Aziz Al Haikal gave the former the UAE’s first real chance on goal before the half hour, but Al Habsi did well to palm the shot wide at his near post.
At the other end, Al Haikal failed to stop Qassem Hardan down the wing, allowing him a free cross to Mohammad Al Siyadi, who blazed over from close range.
A long ball from UAE playmaker Omar Abdul Rahman into the box was blocked by Oman’s Mohammad Al Musalami before Ali Mabkhout could take a swing at it. And Ahmad Khalil saw his shot from outside the area curl wide and around Al Habsi’s grasp as the UAE continued to push.
Al Hammadi had another clear chance for the Whites before the interval after Al Habsi charged out of his box to claim the ball and collided with defender Jaber Al Owaisi, prompting a fumble from which Al Hammadi’s lob towards an open goal went painstakingly wide from distance.
Oman had a goal harshly disallowed after the break, when Raed Saleh’s cross was headed in by Hardan, only to be ruled out for a push.
Al Hammadi later struck from range to force a full-stretch save from Al Habsi in the best of the UAE’s advances.
Veteran striker Esmail Mattar came on for Mabkhout on the hour, taking the armband from goalkeeper Ali Khaseif, as the UAE went in search of goal. They had an appeal for handball in the box denied soon after, when Khalil’s shot appeared to come back off an Omani defender.
And, ten minutes from time, Khalil worked his way into the box and crossed to Mattar at the back post, but he was too slow to get a foot to it.
