
Oman stun Seeb to delay title party
Muscat: Oman Club clinched a thrilling 2-1 win over Seeb in the Round 20 of Omantel League at Seeb Stadium on Monday.
The game began with a balanced exchange of possession without real danger, with a slight advantage for Seeb, who were forced into an early substitution due to an injury to Hassan al Ajmi, replaced by Amjad al Harthy. Against the run of play, Oman took the lead in the 22nd minute through Spanish player Daniel Itur. Seeb came close to equalising before the end of the first half, but Abdulrahman al Mushaifri's shot went over the crossbar.
In the second half, Seeb continued to press and managed to equalise in the 66th minute through Arshad al Alawi, who capitalised on a moment of confusion in the penalty area. As both sides shared control in the latter stages, Oman struck on a last-minute counterattack, with Yazid al Rawahi netting the decisive goal.
With this result, Oman Club spoiled Seeb's chance to secure the league title early, as Seeb needed just one point to officially clinch the championship. Oman raised their tally to 38 points, solidifying their position in third place, while Seeb remained at 48 points. The gap between Seeb and second-placed Al Nahda is now just four points, intensifying the title race in the upcoming rounds.
Al Shabab and Saham players fight for the ball.
SUR OVERCOME IBRI
Sur defeated Ibri 2-1 at Sur Sports Complex.
The home side started strongly, imposing their style early and earning a penalty that was converted by Mohammed al Najashi in the 15th minute. Sur maintained their attacking pressure and doubled the lead early in the second half when Mohammed al Muhaijri scored in the 46th minute, capitalising on a cross from Aysar al Alawi.
Ibri attempted a comeback and reduced the deficit in the 60th minute with a successful penalty taken by their foreign player, Fiston Abdul. Both teams continued to trade attacks, with Sur's Al Najashi missing a clear scoring opportunity, and Ibri almost equalising in the 83rd minute, only for Ayman Ibrahim to waste a one-on-one chance by hitting the post.
Despite Ibri's dominance in the closing minutes, Sur held onto their lead until the final whistle to secure a valuable win.
This victory lifted Sur to 20 points, clinging to their last hope of avoiding relegation, although they remain 12th in the standings, behind Ibri on goal difference. Sur must win their final two matches to stay in the top division; dropping any points will result in relegation to the First Division.
AL SHABAB, SAHAM SHARE SPOILS
The match between Al Shabab and Saham ended in a 2-2 draw at Sohar Sports Complex.
Saham opened the scoring in the 27th minute through Bassam al Saadi, holding the lead until half-time. In the 65th minute, Mohammed al Ghafri equalised for Al Shabab, and substitute Yousef al Ghafri put them ahead in the 79th minute. However, Saham snatched a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time with a second goal by Bassam al Saadi in the 97th minute.
The game was of average technical level, with both teams displaying evenly matched performances and missing several scoring chances.
With this result, Saham raised their total to 25 points, moving up to seventh place, while Al Shabab increased their tally to 27 points, reclaiming fourth place on goal difference over Al Nasr.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Seeb congratulate teams on successful 2024-2025 season
MUSCAT, June 20 In a glittering celebration of a successful sporting season, Seeb Club organised a special event to honour the club's top athletes and teams for their remarkable achievements during the 2024–2025 season. The ceremony was held at the club's headquarters in Muscat on Thursday under the auspices of HH Sayyid Dr Fahd bin Al Julanda al Said, Vice-Chancellor of SQU, in the presence of HH Sayyid Malik bin Shihab al Said, dignitaries and senior sports officials. Yousef al Wahaibi, Vice-Chairman of Seeb Club, delivered a speech as he thanked all the club's athletes, coaching staff, and technical teams for their exceptional performance throughout the season. He also conveyed the appreciation and congratulations of the club's Chairman to all team members and expressed hope for continued accomplishments in the upcoming seasons. During the celebration event, the club's gesture of appreciation towards Salim bin Said al Wahaibi, Chairman of the Oman Football Association (OFA), in recognition of his leadership during two successful terms at the helm of OFA. al Wahaibi was presented with an honorary award for his contributions to Oman football and the national development of football. The event continued with the presentation of awards by the chief guest to the club's star performers and coaching staff. The 2024–2025 season witnessed a series of triumphs across multiple disciplines including senior football team as they were crowned champions of the Omantel League and winners of the prestigious OFA Cup. Volleyball team managed to dominate all the titles of the season as they registered triple titles including first division league, Ministry's Shield, and Super Cup. The first team of the Basketball achieved a domestic double as they secured both the league and the Ministry's Shield titles. The U-17 football team clinched the League Championship title and showcased the strength of Seeb's youth pipeline. Junior basketball team stars also captured the league title. Seeb Football Club Academy achieved remarkable success internationally as they snatched both the Oval Championship and the Manchester City Club title. The head coach of Seeb volleyball team, Jamal al Maamari, said that this event is a crucial event for the athletes in the club as all the sporting staff came under one roof in a glittering annual awards. ' Thanks to the board directors for this yearly event and it is a great motivation for the players to deliver more in the forthcoming seasons. Seeb club is one of the successful clubs in the Sultanate of Oman due to proper planning in all their sporting activities,' he said. ' We are working very hard to compete at Asian level in the next season as we dominated at the domestic level besides our achievements at the Arabian level. Our hopes are high to vie in the continental level,' he ended.


Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Madrid held, City and Juve triumph in CWC openers
PHILADELPHIA: Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal at the Club World Cup (CWC) in new coach Xabi Alonso's first game in charge on Wednesday, after Manchester City got off to a winning start. In the late game Juventus thrashed Al Ain 5-0 in Washington after visiting US President Donald Trump at the White House. Federico Valverde had a stoppage-time penalty saved as Real were forced to settle for a point in the Group H match in Miami having taken the lead. It was a disappointing outcome for the large contingent of fans of the Spanish side in the crowd of 62,415 at Hard Rock Stadium. "The first half wasn't as good as the second one. In the second half we had better chances, better control. For sure we have the principles to start building something, but we could have won," Alonso told broadcaster DAZN. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach gave debuts to new signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen in defence but Real were missing Kylian Mbappe through illness. Gonzalo Garcia started in his place and the 21-year-old seized his chance as he opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark from a Rodrygo assist. Al Hilal hit back in their new coach Simone Inzaghi's first game on the bench with Ruben Neves levelling before the break from the penalty spot following a Raul Asencio foul. Real had the chance to claim victory in stoppage time after Mohammed Al Qahtani was ruled to have put his hand in the face of Fran Garcia in the box. However, Valverde's spot-kick was saved by Yassine Bounou to give the Saudi team a draw after a hugely creditable performance. RB Salzburg took the lead in Group H with a 2-1 win over Mexican outfit Pachuca in Cincinnati. The match was suspended early in the second half with the Austrian team leading 1-0 because of a storm, resuming 97 minutes later. Juventus' Randal Kolo Muani scores their first goal. — Reuters FODEN STARS In Philadelphia, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku scored first-half goals as Pep Guardiola's City eased to a 2-0 win against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in Group G. City gave debuts to new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, but it was Foden who opened the scoring inside two minutes. Doku converted the second goal from a Foden corner shortly before the interval in a game played in sweaty early afternoon conditions in front of 37,446 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. The afternoon was slightly marred for City as Rico Lewis was sent off for a dangerous tackle late on, but Guardiola was satisfied with the winning start as his side look to turn the page following a difficult last season. "It is so hot. The humidity is not easy. We had good moments, many new players. The first game in this group stage is always really, really important. I saw many, many good things," said Guardiola, who suggested he will make sweeping changes for the next match against Al Ain in Atlanta on Sunday. "We are going to train well in the next few days and then fresh legs for the next game to try to improve things," Guardiola added. "We have a lot of new players, injured players back, and step by step we will get to the right tempo." Manchester City's Omar Marmoush in action with Wydad Casablanca's El Mehdi Benabid. — Reuters JUVE DOMINANT Juventus, who sent a delegation to the White House earlier in the day to present Trump with a club shirt, surged to the top of Group G with a crushing triumph over UAE team Al Ain at Audi Field. On loan Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao both struck twice while Kenan Yildiz was also on target. "I'm delighted for my goals but first and foremost for the team's win," Conceicao, on loan from Porto, told DAZN. "We started the game well and that's what we wanted to do, to win this opening match and now we need to kick on." The second round of group games begins on Thursday, with matches including Lionel Messi's Inter Miami against Porto and European champions Paris Saint-Germain facing Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo. — AFP


Observer
4 days ago
- Observer
Spain defeat Oman in opener of Beach Handball championship
MUSCAT, JUNE 18 The Oman U-17 national beach handball team began their campaign at the 2025 IHF Men's Junior Beach Handball World Championship with a challenging match against Spain. The national team players suffered to a 2-0 loss against the European giants in straight sets (12-24, 12-24) in their opening Group A fixture. Despite the defeat, Oman's junior stars showed strong display and promising performance beside their determination against one of the tournament favorites and a strong contender for the championship title. Spain, the 2018 Youth Olympic gold medalists, showcased their experience and clinical execution throughout both halves. Oman's standout performers were Yazan al Buraiki and Imad al Ghailani, who managed to contribute the majority of the team's points and created several offensive threats with their agility and sharp movement during the opening match. The tough encounter, however, also highlighted Spain's defensive strength, particularly their goalkeeper, who was a dominant presence throughout and thwarted several Omani scoring opportunities. With the triumph, Spain gained their first winning points while Oman met Puerto Rico late on Wednesday. The chances still high for the qualification to the second round due to Iran's withdrawal from the group. The first half saw Oman earned an initial possession after a strong defensive effort by Salim al Oraimi, but the team was unable to capitalise on early chances. Spain quickly bounced back and gained a two-point lead but Oman equalised through Yazan al Buraiki's aggressive play, bringing the score to 4-4. A series of missed chances and continued brilliance from Spain's goalkeeper allowed the Spanish team to pull away. Oman's head coach, Jaber Yaqub al Balushi, called a timeout to regroup but Spain extended their lead as they ended the first half at 24-12. In the following half, a similar scenario were delivered by national team players. Oman fought hard to gain momentum as Al Buraiki and Al Ghailani were stepping up. The match was tied as they reached to 6-6 draw in the early minutes but Spain gradually widened the gap to 14-6. After another timeout, Oman attempted a comeback as Al Ghailani made several successful runs down the right flank, scoring vital points. However, Spain maintained their dominance and sealed the match by taking the second half 24-12.