Old Qatar Tidings Tip the Scale: Saudi Arabia Eyes Oman in Arab Cup Showdown

Match Preview

The Saudi national team kicks off its Arab Cup campaign tonight, Tuesday, facing Oman at Education City Stadium.

Saudi daily Al-Riyadhia reported that Qatar will witness another Saudi-Omani showdown, as the two sides meet in the opening round of Group B competition, a rivalry fans in Qatar have followed with growing excitement.

Both Saudi Arabia and Oman have faced four times before on Qatari soil, with the Green Falcons winning all, and today they seek a fifth straight victory.

Head-to-Head in Qatar

That first Saudi–Oman clash occurred about 50 years ago, in 1976 at Gulf Cup, with the second and third Gulf Cups in 1992 and 2019, and the latest meeting in Qatar last year at Asian Cup.

Saudi Arabia won all four meetings: 3-1 in the 1976 Gulf Cup, 2-0 in the second, 3-1 in the third, and 2-1 in the Asian Cup group stage. The nine scorers across those meetings were: Mohammed Al-Maghnam, Khalid Suroor, Essa Khalifa, Fahd Al-Ghishan, Khaled Masad, Firas Al-Breikan, Hattan Bahbri, Abd Rahman Gharib, Ali Al-Bulayhi.

Saudi Arabia's early matches were guided by Hungarian coach Ferenc Puskás; the second by Brazilian coach Nelsinho Baptista; third in 2019 under Hervé Renard; and finally under Italian Roberto Mancini.

Saudi begins its campaign against Oman on December 2, then faces Comoros on the 5th, before concluding the group on December 8 against Morocco.

Punchline: If football were a job interview, this match would be the part where the recruiter asks, “Can you handle the pressure of a crowd shouting at you in three languages?”

Punchline 2: The only thing heavier than a trophy is the referee’s whistle when it’s aimed at a forward who didn’t even touch the ball. Still, we love the drama.