Oman reach Gulf Cup semi-finals after drawing of lots settles deadlock with Iraq

Oman reached the Gulf Cup 27 semi-finals after a drawing of lots was required to separate them from Iraq following an extraordinary tie in the group-stage standings.

The two teams were level on points, goals scored, goal difference and fair-play records after the final round of matches. Each had received eight yellow cards across their three group games, leaving the organising committee with no alternative but to hold a draw more than an hour after the matches had ended.

The draw, held at a hotel in Jeddah, confirmed Oman as the final semi-finalist alongside Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Oman will now appear in the last four for a third consecutive edition. They have lost the final in each of the past two tournaments, while their previous Gulf Cup titles came in 2009 and 2017.

How the deadlock emerged

The fight for second place in the group had been reduced to Iraq and Oman before the final round. Saudi Arabia had already secured qualification in the previous matchday, while Kuwait had been eliminated.

Oman began the night needing to win and hoping Iraq would lose, while also overturning a three-goal deficit in the process. Those results eventually arrived, but still failed to produce a clear winner in the group.

Saudi Arabia defeated Iraq 2-0, with Abdullah Al-Salim opening the scoring in the 54th minute before Abdullah Al-Hamdan added a second in the 69th.

In the other match, Oman recovered from falling behind to beat Kuwait 3-1. Shihab Al-Khaldi put Kuwait ahead in the sixth minute, but Oman turned the game around after half-time by scoring three times in 19 minutes.

Nasser Al-Rawahi scored twice, in the 65th and 81st minutes, before Musab Al-Shaqsi completed the comeback in the 84th minute.

Al-Shaqsi removed his shirt while celebrating his goal and was booked, giving Oman an additional yellow card. That left them level with Iraq on eight cautions each, matching the teams in every available group-stage statistic.

Oman’s players initially celebrated, believing their superior position under the fair-play rule had secured their progress. However, the organising committee later announced that a draw would determine the qualifier after receiving the referees’ report.

The subsequent draw finally settled the contest in Oman’s favour, sending them through to the semi-finals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.