It has been an excellent football festival over the past month, as the eight members of the Arab Gulf Football Federation competed in the 25th annual Arabian Gulf Cup. The tournament got underway at the start of January before the final was held in Iraq on January 19.
It was a historic event for the nation, marking the first time since 1979 that the country had hosted the Arabian Cup. However, you can catch up with all the biggest news headlines surrounding the event here.
Iraq Celebrate Success
This was marketed as the Arabian Cup where Iraq could be portrayed positively after years of political turmoil and conflict. From a footballing perspective, the tournament was a massive success. The hosts kicked off their campaign with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Oman, but their performances certainly impressed from that point.
Iraq got a first win at the Arabian Cup with a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, before they booked their passage as Group A winners with a commanding 5-0 success against Yemen on matchday three. Their first big test came in the semi-finals, as Iraq came up against World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar. However, they battled through to the final with a fine 2-1 success after Ibrahim Bayesh and Aymen Hussein scored goals.
Final For The Ages
The final at Basra International Stadium was a rematch from the tournament’s opening game, as Iraq came up against Oman. Fortunately, the final was better than the stalemate on the opening night, as the sides shared five goals. Iraq went ahead through a Bayesh goal, but Oman dramatically equalized with a 110th-minute penalty, converted by Salah Al-Yahyaei.
That goal forced extra time, and the drama wasn’t about to stop. Iraq thought they had won the final when Amjad Attwan struck home a penalty with just four minutes of the extra period remaining. However, Oman once again hit back just three minutes later. The game appeared to be heading for penalties before Manaf Younis scored the most dramatic of winners in the 122nd minute.
The winner sent fans in the stadium into a frenzy, as they could barely believe that they had won the dramatic showpiece. For Iraq, it meant that they had won the tournament for the fourth time in history, and it was also their first triumph since 1988. However, Oman was the unfortunate loser, as they likely did enough to force a penalty shootout.
Tragedy Before Final
It will go down as one of the best footballing tournaments in the history of the event, but the final in Basra was plagued by a deadly crush outside the Basra International Stadium before the final. Reports circulated before the final got underway that one fan was killed, and 60 others were injured as fans looked to force their way into the ground.
Officials stated that many Iraqi fans had been hoping to get into the ground without having tickets, and social media footage posted online showed scary images of fans lying on the ground. While the football deserved to be celebrated, fans will be hoping that this will be the final time we see these unsavory scenes.
Bahrain Unable To Defend Crown
Bahrain were crowned Arabian Gulf Cup champions for the first time in their history in the previous edition of the event, and they were favored in the betting at arabicbet.org to go close again in 2023. The champions couldn’t have dreamed for a better start to the competition after recording victories against the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and they eventually topped Group B despite being held to a draw by Kuwait in the final group game.
However, their defense of the trophy came to a dramatic end in Basra, as they were beaten by Oman in the semi-finals. They performed well throughout the tournament, but Oman eventually ended their hold on the trophy with a winner with just seven minutes remaining.
Conclusion- Eyes On The Future
Following the 25th annual Arabian Gulf Cup’s conclusion, the sights will be set on the future. The next edition of the tournament sees the action head to Kuwait. It will be the fifth time that the nation has hosted the prestigious competition, with the country last hosting the event in 2017-18.
Kuwait hopes to achieve a better showing than they have in previous editions, with their last Arabian Gulf Cup success coming in 2010.