So the 2019 Gulf Cup of Nations kicks off next Tuesday, November 26 here in Doha, Qatar. Due to the blockade, it was originally scheduled as a 5 team tournament between hosts Qatar, holders Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, and Yemen. Then from out of the blue last week, we heard the news that Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain will all be joining, so this means it's back to the 2 groups of 4 / SF / Final format. Much better in my opinion, but a bit of a pain to anyone who had tickets or plans around the original schedule. Anyway, The draw is: Group A: Qatar (hosts) United Arab Emirates Yemen Iraq Group B: Oman (holders) Saudi Arabia, Bahrain Kuwait Full fixtures are here:
yup - opening game Qatar 1-2 Iraq. The battle of the Q-countries - the only country in the world that starts with a Q and the only country in the world that ends in -q.... Wouldn't have been surprised had this been a year ago, but given the year Qatar have been having - I guess it is kind of a surprise. This means that last group game between Qatar and UAE is going to be quite a spectacle with Qatar perhaps needing a win to go through. Tonight is Oman vs Bahrain & Kuwait vs KSA... it's taking place at the small Duhail stadium literally right across from where I work, so should be there... anyhoo a few pictures before I get the video ready....
so a 2nd upset the other night... Oman 0-0 Bahrain and then... Kuwait 3-1 Saudi Arabia! Didn't see the latter coming at all. However, I guess that may have a lot to do with what sort of team Saudi played. Not sure if this is their first string team or how seriously they are taking the tournament given the fact that many of their players had / have Champions league and Club World Cup commitments with Al Hilal. Was only around 6,000 crowd, but given the fact the stadium was only a 9,000 seater, seemed a lot more than that as Omanis and Kuwaitis showed up in droves, and I guess Qataris were supporting those teams too... I can only imagine what the atmosphere would be like with Saudi and Bahrainis coming here too.. saw a few Saudi and Bahraini flags but it was literally only a handful. Anyway, here's the highlights...
The coach rested most if the Hilal players as they showed up a day before the match but the team bounced backed with 2-0 win over Bahrain on last match day. Exciting last match day for both the groups..
2nd round of matches played: Iraq 2-0 UAR Qatar 6-0 Yemen Oman 2-1 Kuwait Saudi 2-0 Bahrain UAE vs Qatar will be decisive in the final match as will Saudi vs Oman. My prediction of Saudi vs Qatar final could still be on the cards... but Iraq looking really good so far. will go to Qatar vs UAE / Kuwait vs Bahrain double header tomorrow, and ride the metro for the 1st time inshallah..... Also just realized it's only 1 days rest between teams in this group... crazy! Yesterday, Kuwait vs Oman + Saudi vs Bahrain... today rest, tomorrow Oman vs Saudi + Kuwait vs Bahrain... for Bahrain + Saudi it's less that 48 hours after their last match!
Final match day is here... My predictions - Qatar vs UAE - Qatar comfortably beat UAE and advance after seeing out of form UAE performance in first 2 match days. KSA vs Oman - We have not beat Oman for years now dating back till 2015 but things have changed comfortably. This should be exciting to watch. I believe KSA will go through with 2-0 scoreline Kuwait vs Bahrain - Kuwait is favourites but Bahrain can pull surprise & can hold on for draw.
Dramatic Day... Qatar as expected went by beating UAE 4-2. KSA beats Oman 3-1 and Bahrain beats Kuwait 4-2 and qualifies for semis Semifinal Line-up - KSA vs Qatar Iraq vs Bahrain
Went to the Qatar vs UAE and Bahrain vs Kuwait games the other day. Really glad I did too... Qatar beating UAE was fairly expected and to be honest with you, given the fact that UAE needed to win to go through, Qatar were pretty much in control throughout. Had UAE not lost to Iraq, the game would have been a bit more fun with Qatar needing a win to go through. The real treat was Bahrain vs Kuwait which kicked off about 45 minutes afterwards. We waited as the stadium cleared out just to let the crowds die down a bit. I though this would be a bit of a dead game, but both sides really went for it, and Bahrain got their 2 goal win despite almost being 2-1 down in the 2nd half, (but that goal was ruled out through VAR). Throughout the game, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman kept leapfrogging each other for that elusive 2nd spot but Bahrain got that 4th goal at the very death. Anyhoo, onwards to the semifinals tomorrrow.... Ha ha... you can see the difference in crowds here.... what a difference a couple of hours makes...
Qatar vs Saudi will be fun to watch.. I hate to say but KSA have picked up a bit under Rená'rd & progressing well. Qatar have the same coach which guided them to Asian Cup. With Rena'rd experience in winning cup games with Zambia and Ivory Coast, it will be closely fought tactical encounter. Iraq have already showed in the cup that Qatar can be beaten and not to be afraid off. I am predicting a close match with 2-2 or 1-1 kind of scoreline and the match decided on penalties.
So the final is set for tomorrow: Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia in Duhail Stadium. They moved the final just this morning from the 45,000 seater Khalifa Stadium to the 9,000-seater Duhail... well I guess at least it won't feel that empty. Anyhoo, should Saudi win it will be their first title since 2003 but will make them the undisputed 2nd most successful Gulf Cup team behind Kuwait. Should Bahrain win, it will be their maiden Gulf Cup win, leaving Yemen the only team without a championship. One fact here, since the tournament was switched from a round-robin event, to a 2 group / semifinal / final tournament, neither of these sides have won a final. This is Bahrain's first ever Gulf Cup final, while Saudi have lost the final 3 times - to Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. Anyway, may the best team win tomorrow! And here's some footage of the Qatar vs Saudi semifinal.. didn't get the goal as it was off a half chance... maybe better luck tomorrow...
Well what a tournament! This tournament that had so many upsets - Iraq beating Qatar in the opener, Kuwait over Saudi, Bahrain squeaking through with a last minute goal against Kuwait ends with Bahrain winning their first ever Gulf Cup title. Was a great experience attending so many matches, including the final itself. Despite the blockade, they still managed to fill the 9,000 seater Al Duhail stadium with fans of both teams. Congrats Bahrain, tough luck Saudi. Anyway, here's the final highlights...