Sport | Football
UAE win Gulf Cup
Hosts UAE win their first Gulf Cup when they beat neighbours Oman 1-0 in a high voltage final at the Zayed Sports City, with the UAE's star striker Esmail Mattar scoring the match-winner in the 73rd minute.
- By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:36 May 3, 2009
- Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
- The UAE football team beat Oman 1-0 to bag the Gulf Cup championship.
Abu Dhabi: Hosts UAE won their first Gulf Cup when they beat neighbours Oman 1-0 in a high voltage final at the Zayed Sports City on Tuesday night.
Esmail Mattar did the star-turn once again when he scored the match-winner in the 73rd minute.
With both sides adopting a cautious approach, the first 45 minutes clearly belonged to the hosts but they had nothing to show for their dominance.
Most of their attacks came from the right flank where Abdul rahim Juma was outstanding but so was the Omani goalkeeper Ali Habshi who did well to thwart danger twice.
After Abdul Rahim wasted a good chance after a bout of passing with Esmail Matar, Ali Habshi did well to save off a direct free-kick taken by Subait Khater.
Oman, who never had a look at the UAE goal came close only in the 28th minute and that too was off a free-kick.
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In the 31st minute, UAE's star striker Esmail Matar almost scored off a header at the near post off a Abdul Rahimk cross, but the alert Al Habshi saved.
The Omanis tried and succeeded in slowing down the game and the first half ended 0-0 with a packed stadium of nearly 60,000 watching the game.
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