Saudi Arabia and UAE set for Gulf Cup final

Saudi players celebrate after reaching the final.

JEDDAH, Oct 4: Saudi Arabia booked their place in the Gulf Cup 27 final after defeating Qatar on penalties in Jeddah, setting up a title clash with the UAE on Tuesday at Al-Inma Stadium.

The UAE reached the final with a 1-0 victory over Oman in the other semifinal.

The first semifinal ended goalless after 90 minutes and extra time, forcing a penalty shootout. Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais emerged as the hero, saving two spot-kicks before Mukhtar Ali converted the decisive penalty to send the hosts through.

The final will be Saudi Arabia’s sixth appearance in the Gulf Cup championship match in knockout-format editions. They finished runners-up to Kuwait in 1974, lost the 2009 final to Oman on penalties, and were beaten 1-0 by Kuwait in the 2010 final. They also suffered 1-0 defeats to Qatar in 2014 and Bahrain in 2019.

Saudi Arabia’s three Gulf Cup titles came in editions played under a league format, in 1994, 2002 and 2003.

The “Green” has also reached the Asian Cup final six times, lifting the trophy in 1984, 1988, and 1996. They lost the 1992 and 2000 finals to Japan and the 2007 final to Iraq.

In the Arab Cup, Saudi Arabia has reached the final three times, losing to Egypt in 1992 before winning the titles in 1998 and 2002.

In the second semifinal, Othman Kamara scored the only goal in the 22nd minute as the UAE defeated Oman 1-0 to secure their place in the final.