Abu Dhabi: Oman goalkeeper Faiyz Al Rashidi denied the UAE’s favourite Omar ‘Amoori’ Abdul Rahman not once but twice from the spot to claim the Gulf Cup with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win in front of a packed house at the Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium in Kuwait City on Friday.

Abdul Rahman’s effort was blocked by Al Rashidi in the 89th minute and then again after the match was forced into shootout to break the 0-0 deadlock. For Oman all five — Abdul Al Muqbali, Saad Al Mukhaini, Ahmad Kano Said Salam and Mohsin Al Khaldi — were on target. While for the UAE, Ali Mabkhout, Ahmad Barman, Esmail Ahmad and Mohammad Al Menhali scored before Abdul Rahman missed the fifth shot.

The match wouldn’t have gone this far, had UAE sealed the win and title just before time by nailing the penalty. Mabkhout was brought down inside the box by Mohammad Al Musalami while the former was reaching for a pinpoint cross from Abdul Rahman from the left flank. Oman goalkeeper Al Rashidi rose to the occasion to keep his side in the game by denying the UAE’s star playmaker from the spot. He dived full-stretched to his right to keep out a full-blooded attempt from Abdul Rahman.

The first quarter of play was mainly confined to a midfield duel with both sides trying to get the measure of each other.

The first concrete move from the UAE came in the 18th minute. Striker Ahmad Khalil did well to chest down a long ball before unleashing a power-packed right-footer but his effort lacked direction and went wide.

Oman made their presence felt with a header from Ahmad Kano off a free-kick but it lacked the power to beat an alert UAE keeper Khalid Eisa.

Then an Abdul Rahman release deflected off an Oman player before landing in front of Mabkhout, who unleash a first time volley but it had too much elevation and sailed over the bar.

There were some sloppy performance in a UAE defence that looked a bit nervous at the beginning unlike their previous outings, but Oman didn’t make their opportunity count. A missed pass from defender Mohanad Salem allowed Khalid Khalifa Al Hajri to sweep in but the latter’s grounder went just wide.

In the dying minutes of the first half, a left-footed effort from Mohsin Al Khaldi went whistling past the UAE goal.

Oman were more dominant after the change of ends but Eisa was equally up for the challenge. The UAE were also effective on the counters, but their forwards lacked the finishing touch. It has been their problem all through the tournament and with Khalil and Mabkhout continuing to be ineffective, goal scoring looked difficult. Khalil was replaced by Esmail Al Hammadi in the 64th minute but the latter too kept running out of ideas once inside the box.

The noteworthy move came early in the second half, when Abdul Rahman found Mabkhout with a brilliant through before leapfrogging to meet the cross from the latter. Though Abdul Rahman did well to reach for the lob, his header missed the far post by inches and the star playmaker was seen holding his head in disbelief. In the 56th minute, Eisa kept out a header from Al Khaldi at the near post.

Oman’s Al Khaldi and Jameel Al Yahmadi created some jitters in the UAE camp with some swift moves from the left flank but once inside the box the final touch eluded them.

In the first half of the extra-time, a scorching free-kick from Al Khaldi was dipping in sharply towards the top corner but an alert Eisa kept it out. After the ends changed, an Al Hammadi shot graced past the rival goal and thereafter it was evident that the match would be decided in a shootout and eventual glory for Oman.