Oman won the Gulf Cup for the first time beating Saudi Arabia 6-5 in a thrilling final which was decided on a penalty shoot-out in Muscat on Saturday. After the two sides had been locked at 0-0 after extra-time, midfielder Taiser Al-Jassem missed the sixth penalty kick for Saudi Arabia with Hassan Rabia finding the target for Oman. Rabia won the Scorer of the Tournament award for his five goals, while Saudi defender Majed Al-Marshadi bagged the tournament's Best Player's honors. Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Saeed, Oman's Minster for Culture and Heritage, handed over the trophy to the winning side and silver medals to the Saudi squad. Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Head of the Saudi delegation attended the match and the prize distribution ceremony. He said although Saudi Arabia lost the final, but it has found a few new faces. Despite having not won the crown before and playing at home in front of a boisterous crowd, Oman players kept their cool throughout the match before fulfilling their dream. Nasser Al-Johar's squad faced intense pressure from the start. Emad Al-Hosani almost scored Oman's first six minutes into the final game when he hit Ismail Al-Ajmi's cross just wide. In the 15th minute, Al-Hosani's shot missed the right post of Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah. Omanis kept their presence near the Saudi goal while the Kingdom's attempts to advance were met by solid defense. Saudi strikers Yasser Al-Qahtani and Malek Al-Hawsawi failed to trouble the experienced Bolton's goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, while the Saudi keeper was tested frequently. Seconds before the break, Abdullah denied Al-Ajmi's long-shot which looked like a sure goal. The first real chance came the Saudi team's way when Al-Qahtani, driving on a counter-attack, shot inches wide of Al-Habsi's right post. Two minutes later, Naif Hazazi replaced Al-Hawsawi, but he failed to penetrate the Omani defense. Rabia was threatening the Saudis once again in the 66th minute but his header went wide. Then in the 84th minute, it was the Saudi bar that denied Al-Hosani header. Saudi team began to attack in the first extra half but with no efficiency. Al-Qahtani almost broke the deadlock minutes before the final whistle when he headed a shot from Al-Habsi, but the Omani goalkeeper converted it into a corner. In the shoot-out, Al-Qahtani, Saud Kariri, Redha Tukar, Ahmed Atif and Osama Hawsawi scored for Saudi Arabia while Khalifa Ayel, Al-Ajmi, Hassan Madhfar, Hisham Saleh, Fawzi Basher and Hassan Rabia netted for Oman to seal their win. Host Oman and Asian giant Saudi Arabia were the most deserving sides to be in the final after finishing their group games on top. The two made it to the final following 1-0 wins over Qatar and Kuwait, respectively, in the semifinals. Kuwait has won the trophy a record nine times, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have won it thrice each. Qatar has claimed it twice, while the UAE and now Oman have won it once. __
