The first half of the match between Iraq and Yemen was not punctuated by technical gestures or mutual attempts between the two teams
The inaugural match of the twenty-fifth edition of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Championship ended with a goalless draw at the Basra International Stadium, in the south of the country, between the hosts Iraq and Oman.
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani inaugurated the tournament, which will be hosted by the city of Basra from 6 to 19 January 2023, in the presence of the Swiss president of the International Federation of Association Football, Gianni Infantino.
Al-Sudani said, “Today we open the 25th Gulf Championship in the beloved stadiums of Basra. Welcome to the youth teams of the Gulf, fans and fans on the land of Iraq.”
The leaders of the football federations of some Arab countries also took part in the opening ceremony. Such as the president of the Qatar Football Federation, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Palestinian Jibril Rajoub, Bahraini Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa and other sports personalities from countries in the region.
This is the second time Iraq has hosted this championship, after the first was held in the capital, Baghdad, in 1979.
The first half of the match was not punctuated by technical ideas or reciprocal attempts to score two goals, with the exception of an attempt by Iraq, on a long-range shot by Hussein Jabbar in the second minute, which was hit by the Omani goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Makhili in the right place, and rejected it with difficulty.
The final minute of the first half saw an effort from Oman which would have resulted in a goal but for miscalculation by Oman Arshad Al-Alawi, who sent his ball wide in front of goal and to Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.
In the second half, the Iraqi team took the lead, and Ayman Hussein’s header in the 60th minute was the most dangerous attempt in which the ball went just over the crossbar, which turned the tide of the match in favor of the Lions of Mesopotamia.
Nine minutes later, Al-Alawi responded with a ball that went just over the post.
The attempts of the Iraqi team on the Omani goal continued, and in the 76th minute Ali Ali Fadel hit a ball that went close to the post.
And in the 86th minute, Oman’s goal crossbar was faced with a steady strong ball that was hit by Durgham Ismail.
Iraq and Oman have met 10 times in the tournament since its inception, Iraq has won five games and lost two, and the two teams have drawn in three ties.
Iraq, regarded as one of the strongest candidates to win the title on grounds and crowds, have scored 23 goals against Oman in the sides’ previous games, conceding 12 goals.
“Gulf 25” will be the first challenge facing the Spanish coach of the Iraqi national team, Jesus Casas, in his first official appearance after his appointment.
Casas spoke before the match about the method he will follow during the match and explained: “We will certainly rely on the Spanish style of play and try to impose a specific method of play that is close to Spanish football.”
On the other hand, the Oman national team, led by Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic, who took charge of the team in early 2020, is hoping to bring back memories of the 2017 Kuwait Gulf Cup final when the ‘Oman won the title for the second time.
In the second match of the same group, the Saudi national team will meet its Yemeni counterpart.
The Saudi national team participates in the tournament in the second row, in view of the continuation of the championship matches of the Saudi League.
As for the Yemeni national team, they are trying to get a surprise and a positive result this time, after failing to get any wins in their previous nine participations in the tournament.
The Yemeni team is the only one among the eight teams participating in the Gulf Cup, which has not won the title before.
The southern Iraqi city of Basra completed preparations to host the tournament amid an influx of fans from participating countries to the city after long decades that Iraq has waited to host the tournament for the second time in its history, after the 1979 tournament in Baghdad, which Iraq won the title at the time.
The participating teams are divided into two groups; The former includes Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman, while the latter includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the Emirates.
Two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held under the knockout system.
image copyright Getty Images
From the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup between Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman at the Basra International Stadium
Championship history
The Gulf Cup championship was first launched in 1970 with a single group system, with the participation of four countries, namely Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Kuwait won the title after picking up six points , while Bahrain finished second .
Saudi Arabia hosted the second edition in 1972, when the number of participating countries increased to five countries after the accession of the United Arab Emirates, and for the second time, Kuwait was crowned with the title.
In the third edition in 1974, hosted by Kuwait, the number of member states rose to six with the accession of the Sultanate of Oman, and Kuwait won the title for the third time.
Iraq joined the fifth edition and hosted the tournament in 1979, bringing the number of participating countries to seven. Iraq managed to win the title, then won the title in 1984 and 1988.
Qatar ended Kuwaiti-Iraqi hegemony over the tournament and won the title in 1992 when they hosted the tournament, which Iraq was prevented from participating due to the Second Gulf War.
In the 16th edition hosted by Kuwait in 2003, Yemen joined, bringing the number of participating countries to seven, and Saudi Arabia won the title.
In 2004, Doha hosted the tournament and the number of participating teams increased to eight countries after Iraq returned to the competition and Qatar won the title for the second time in their history.
The UAE were crowned champions of the Gulf Cup for the first time in the 18th edition, which was held in the UAE in 2007.
In the 19th Gulf Cup in 2009, the Sultanate of Oman, host of that edition, was able to obtain its first cup.
The Kuwaiti team is believed to have won the Gulf Cup title ten times, followed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, each with three titles.
