Saudi Arabia topple Oman with first-half masterclass as Al-Brikan returns to scoring form

DAMMAM: If there was any kind of victory Saudi Arabia needed to follow up on Iraq's late rally against Kuwait — a 3-2 win earlier in the evening — it was a dominant first-half performance that put the game beyond doubt against Oman and allowed the team to rest for their final game. Indeed, in the second round of Group A fixtures at the 27th Gulf Cup, Oman found themselves 3-0 down inside just 45 minutes. It was Feras Al-Brikan who emerged as the star of the night — and it was long overdue. Despite their 1-0 win over Kuwait in the opening game, Saudi Arabia felt they should have had more, with a series of spurned chances falling to that game's starting striker, Abdullah Al-Hamdan. With Al-Brikan enduring a goal drought stretching back to Saudi Arabia's Arab Cup quarterfinal against Palestine last December, his performance against Oman was a timely reminder of what he is capable of. Al-Brikan was once the Saudi Pro League's leading domestic scorer at mid-table side Al-Fateh — but since joining Al-Ahli under Matthias Jaissle, he has largely been second fiddle to Ivan Toney or been shifted out to the left wing. That had taken a significant toll on his goalscoring, but against Oman, that class of finishing was back on display. In the 11th minute, he met a well-timed cross from Saleh Abu Al-Shamat with a brilliant header to open the scoring. In the 35th minute, a combination play alongside Mohammed Kanno and Sultan Mandash released him through on goal — he smashed a left-footed finish into the top corner to make it 3-0. Sandwiched between those goals was Hassan Kadesh's header that made it 2-0 for Saudi Arabia — just seven minutes after Al-Brikan's opener and again courtesy of a Saleh Abu Al-Shamat cross. The Al-Ahli attacking midfielder has clearly taken his omission from the 2026 World Cup squad seriously. Since returning to international football, he has been Saudi Arabia's primary creative outlet — a vital asset for the Green Falcons in the absence of Musab Al-Juwayr, who was omitted from the tournament squad for disciplinary reasons. For Oman, it was a night to forget. After holding Iraq to a hard-earned 1-1 draw in the tournament opener, they looked totally out of touch and were beaten before the game had found its stride. Saudi Arabia move to six points at the top of the group after two fixtures and face Iraq — on four points — on Tuesday in an anticipated showdown. While Saudi Arabia have secured qualification to the semifinal with a victory, Iraq have an opportunity to grab first place with a win. Oman, on one point, meet Kuwait with an outside chance of qualifying — they must win, hope Iraq lose and overturn the goal difference. Before that, Gulf Cup action continues with Group B on Sunday, with Yemen facing Qatar at 6 p.m., before the UAE face Bahrain at 9 p.m.