ShareKUWAIT: The Saudi national team succeeded in crossing to the semifinals of the Gulf Cup (Khaleeji Zain 26) by a deserved victory over Iraq (3-1), in the third round of Group B, on Saturday evening.
The match witnessed the brilliance of all players, especially Abdullah Al-Hamdan, who came on as a substitute and scored two goals, while Salem Al-Dosari scored a goal and created another.
The public address announcer at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium announced that Salem Al-Dosari was awarded man of the match award for Saudi Arabia and Iraq, receiving the support of the fans who chanted his name.
Salem Al-Dosari took his tally to 23 goals in his 90th match for Saudi Arabia in all competitions. Al-Dosari has been heavily criticized recently for his poor form with the Saudi national team, especially in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
It is worth noting that the Saudi national team qualified as the top of Group B with 6 points, equal with Bahrain, but they won on goal difference, to set a date with Kuwait, the host of the tournament, in the semi-finals.
The Saudi national team achieved a deserved victory over its Iraqi counterpart with a score of 3-1, on Saturday evening, in the third round of the group stage of the 26th Gulf Championship.
The Saudi team ensured that it will accompany Bahrain to the semifinals, after raising its score to 6 points, after beating Yemen and Iraq and losing to Bahrain.
The victory is the Saudi team's third victory over the Mesopotamian Lions in the Gulf tournaments, and the result is the largest for the Green Team over Iraq in the Gulf championship.
The first confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq was in the fourth edition in 1976 in Qatar, and Iraq won 7-1.
In the next edition in 1979, which was held in Baghdad, the Iraqi team won by two goals to one.
In the 1982 edition held in Kuwait, the two teams drew 1-1, a tournament that witnessed the withdrawal of the Iraqi team. In 1984 in Iraq, the Lions defeated the Green 4-0.
The eighth edition of the Gulf Cup, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1986, witnessed the first victory of the Saudi team, when it beat its Iraqi counterpart with a score of 2-1.
The Iraqi team came back and won another victory over the Saudi team, in the next edition, in 1988, which was held in the capital, Riyadh, a score of 2-0.
After a long hiatus from confrontations in the Gulf Championship, the 18th edition of the tournament, in the UAE in 2007, witnessed a renewed confrontation, and the Saudi team managed to win by a goal without reply.
In the 21st Gulf in Bahrain in 2013, the Iraqi team renewed its supremacy when it beat the Green 2-0, and with the same result, the Saudi team lost to its Iraqi counterpart in the last edition of the Gulf 25 in Basra.
Salem Al-Dosari, captain of the Saudi Arabian national team, succeeded in ending the scoring jinx that has plagued him for the green team throughout the recent period.
Al-Dosari was able to score against Iraq, during their match yesterday, in the third round of the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup 2024.
In the 57th minute, Al Dosari opened the scoring, after he scored from the spot, which he executed with great skill.
With that kick, Al-Dosari scored his first goal for Saudi Arabia since he scored against Tajikistan on March 21, 282 days later, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Salem Al-Dosari raised his tally to 23 goals in his 90th match for the Saudi national team in all competitions.
Meanwhile in the second and final match of the third round of the group stage Yemen ended their Gulf Cup campaign with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Bahrain on Saturday.
Yemen took the lead with a reverse goal scored by Nasser Mohammedouh Al-Ghawashi in the 41st minute, but Mohammed Al-Rumaihi equalized for Bahrain in the 62nd minute.
Bahrain played with 10 men from the 73rd minute after Sayed Mahdi Baqer was sent off.
Yemen took advantage of their opponent's numerical disadvantage and snatched the winning goal two minutes before the end, through Haroon Yousef Al-Zubaidi. Bahrain had already secured qualification to the final four before today's match, topping Group B with 6 points.
