Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al Bulayhi (right) scores the winning goal. AFP
Doha, Qatar: Ali Al Bulayhi’s stunning late header saved Saudi Arabia’s blushes as they came from a goal down to beat Oman 2-1 to open their Asian Cup on a winning note amidst VAR drama, yesterday.
Despite dominating the early proceedings at the packed Khalifa International Stadium, the Green Falcons suffered an early shock when Oman took advantage of a penalty awarded by Australian referee Shaun Evans after consulting the VAR for a foul on Muhsen Al Ghassani.
The Qatar SC star Salaah Al Yahyaei made no mistake in converting the penalty as he gave Oman a surprising lead after 14 minutes.
Saudi Arabia, who stunned the eventual Qatar 2022 World Cup winners Argentina, were hunting for an equalizer for most part of the Group F encounter.
Oman almost gave away an own goal when Mohammed Kanno’s pass inside the box was received by Saud Abdulhamid. However, Abdullah Fawaz’s attempt to intercept the same almost resulted in directing the ball into their own net, but the brilliant glovework by goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini saved Oman for once.
With the thrilling match reaching the end, Oman fans among the 41,987-strong crowd at the iconic venue had already started celebrating what could have been a memorable victory.
Saudi players looked tensed and were pushing hard for a leveler.
However, it was Abdulrahman Ghareeb, a second-half substitute, who single-handedly eased the pressure off coach Roberto Mancini and his teammates with an equalizer.
Ghareeb came in from outside the box in the 78th minute, outpacing Oman captain Harib Al Saadi before evading two defenders, and directing a precise low shot past goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini.
The decisive moment arrived in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Al Bulayhi headed home from a close range after Ali Lajami received Ghareeb’s cross from the corner as intense drama unfolded.
The goal was initially disallowed for offside. However, just as Saudi players and fans looked stunned in disappointment, it was eventually validated following a thorough VAR review.
Misinformed about the situation, Oman players were almost ready to restart the game with a free kick.
Referee Evans clarified the situation as the Saudi players and fans erupted in jubilant celebrations.
