Muscat: Former Oman national player Abdulaziz al Maqbali netted the all-important goal in the dying minutes of the second extra half to deliver a crucial victory for Seeb and secure spot in the final of the His Majesty’s Cup football championship on Thursday night.
The Muscat-based team defeated Al Nasr 1-0 to set up a final against Al Rustaq on March 17. The first leg of the semifinal between the teams ended in a goalless draw on February 21 at the Al Saada Stadium.
At the Seeb Stadium, Al Maqbali’s header in the 116th minute after perfect cross ball from Amjad al Harthi was the only goal in the match and that was enough to take Seeb into the final match of the coveted cup. The three times winners will be chasing their fourth title after the last title in 1998.
Seeb players celebrated until late on Thursday with the huge crowd attending the match at the home venue.
Earlier, series of scoring attempts were missed by the Seeb players during the match including Mohsin al Ghassani’s header chance in the 97th minute which went above the bar. The referee showed second yellow card and red card for Al Nasr’s defender Nasseb al Ghilani after his tough tackle on a Seeb player in the 94th minute.
Seeb and Al Rustaq will begin gearing up for the final match soon. Al Rustaq entered the final for the first time ever after their triumph against Dhofar and they will eye a maiden title.
