UAE see off Oman to set up first final against Saudi Arabia since 1996

DAMMAM: Dec. 21, 1996 — that was the last time the UAE met Saudi Arabia in a final, a nervy encounter that ended 0-0 after 120 minutes before the Green Falcons clinched the title for the third time on penalties, denying the Whites glory in their own backyard. Thirty years later, the competition may differ, but the desire for victory is the same. The UAE beat Oman 1-0 in the 27th Gulf Cup semifinal on Saturday to set up a date with Saudi Arabia in the final — Zlatko Dalić's side now aiming to go one better in their opponents' own backyard. Despite Saudi Arabia's dominance in the AFC Asian Cup, it has been over a decade since the Green Falcons last tasted glory — that being their 2003/04 Gulf Cup triumph. The UAE have been more recent winners, securing their Gulf Cup titles in 2007 and 2013. The regional rivalry was largely one-sided in Saudi Arabia's favor between the AFC Asian Cup final in 1996 and their World Cup Qualifying encounter in 2016. Saudi Arabia have failed to beat the UAE in four matches since then — although that last meeting at the FIFA Arab Cup was abandoned at half-time due to weather conditions. A victory for the UAE over Saudi Arabia would send a powerful signal ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which gets underway in the Kingdom in just over three months, and also be the first time the Whites have ever beaten Saudi Arabia to a title. But while the UAE made a strong start at the Gulf Cup — a 4-0 win against Yemen and a 3-0 victory over Bahrain — there was an expectation they would see off Oman with greater dominance. To be fair, this Oman side had shown remarkable resilience — qualifying after pulling through with a late comeback against Kuwait in their final group game, followed by a draw of lots — and were never going to be pushovers. Even after conceding the opener — a header by Ousmane Camara from a precise deep cross by Mamadou Coulibaly in the 22nd minute — Oman showed glimpses of quality, but not enough to trouble the UAE. The UAE should have put the game to bed in the 56th minute when they were awarded a penalty — but Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini stretched to palm away Nicolas Giménez's effort into the bottom corner. With time ticking down and a place in the Gulf Cup final at stake, Oman pushed men forward. But a couple of aimless passes between defenders before Al-Mukhaini launched a hopeful long ball in search of an equalizer did little to unsettle the Emiratis — and the UAE held firm. While the UAE were seeing off Oman, Saudi Arabia had just played out a deja vu moment of the 1996 final in the night's first semifinal. Qatar held their own for 120 minutes, preventing Saudi Arabia from finding the net as the game went to penalties — where Mohammed Al-Owais was the hero with two saves to send the Green Falcons to the final for the first time since 2019. While Saudi fans felt relieved after the result, their players will come into the final with fewer minutes in their legs — a potential advantage for the UAE, who needed just 90 minutes to see off Oman. The Gulf Cup final takes place on Oct. 6 at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah. The UAE are in search of a third title, while Saudi Arabia look to equal Iraq's record of four.