Doha (AFP)
The Tunisian national team became the first to cross into the “golden square” of the Arab Football Cup held in the Qatari capital, Doha, by defeating Oman 2-1 at Education City Stadium in the quarter-finals.
Tunisia’s goals were scored by Seif El-Din Jaziri (16) and Youssef Msakni (69), while Arshad Al-Alawi scored Oman’s only goal.
Thus, after the surprise of the first round, the Omani team bid farewell to the tournament, which is being held for the first time, under the umbrella of the International Football Association, and is participating in it for the first time as well, while Tunisia awaits in the semi-finals, the winner of the Egypt-Jordan match.
The Tunisian team started the match with a pressing attack on the Omani regions, but without any effectiveness towards the goal.
Although the Omanis regained their stability and started building attacks, the “Carthage Eagles” shocked them by opening the scoring from the first actual opportunity, when Al Jaziri, the tournament’s top scorer so far with four goals, rose to a cross from Mohammed bin Hamida, and put it in the net (16).
Nottingham Forest’s English player, Muhammad Drager, almost doubled the score in the 20th minute, when he penetrated the defense from the right side into the penalty area, and hit a ball that was blocked by Omani goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini and turned it into a corner.
The rhythm of the match calmed down for about ten minutes, amid the Omanis’ inability to penetrate the Tunisian defences.
And in the 34th minute, there was a dangerous opportunity for the Tunisian team, when Drager penetrated from the right side, and exchanged passes with Manchester United player Hannibal Al-Majbri, before passing the ball to Naim Saliti, who hit the ball over the crossbar, before he shot from outside the area along the left post. ».
Then team captain Youssef Msakni also missed the opportunity to boost the result in front of the goal (43).
In the second half, Drager almost scored Tunisia’s second goal when he received a short pass from Msakni inside the penalty area, but the defense managed to turn it into a corner “46”.
Then Omani Khaled Al-Hajri shot from outside the penalty area (48), in the hands of Tunisian goalkeeper Moez Hassan, and Dräger responded similarly, but next to the left post (49).
Msakni tried to take advantage of a free kick on the outskirts of the penalty area, but it went into the hands of the goalkeeper “55”.
Oman coach Branko Ivankovic made two substitutions in the 57th minute, by taking out Al-Hajri and Al-Mundhir Al-Alawi, and entering Saleh Moataz and Issam Al-Subhi.
Minutes later, in the 65th minute, Arshad Al-Alawi equalized Oman with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, and put it in the net to the right of Tunisian goalkeeper Hassan.
But amid the enthusiasm of the fans that filled the stands, the Tunisian response was very quick, and this time from Msakni, who jumped higher than the Omani defenders to rise to Celiti’s cross, and turned it with his head into the net (69).
Then the Omanis tried to return to the match, but their timid attempts were to no avail.
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