JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, September 27, 2026: Saudi Arabia spent 34 minutes turning a potentially difficult Gulf Cup 27 night into a semifinal celebration. Iraq needed almost the entire match to achieve something nearly as valuable.
Feras Al Brikan scored twice and Hassan Kadesh added another as the host nation swept Oman aside 3-0 at Alinma Stadium, securing qualification from Group A with a match to spare. Earlier at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, Iraq survived two Kuwait equalizers before substitute Karar Nabeel struck in the 90+9th minute for a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The two games could hardly have been decided in more different ways. Saudi Arabia removed uncertainty before halftime. Iraq lived with it until the final seconds.
Together, the results reshaped Group A. Saudi Arabia are through on six points. Iraq sit second with four and control their qualification destiny. Oman remain alive on one point. Kuwait, despite producing one of Saturday’s best individual performances through Yousef Nasser, have been eliminated after two defeats.
Story at a glance
What Happened in Saturday’s Gulf Cup 27 Group A Matches?
Saudi Arabia had entered Saturday as the only Group A team with three points after beating Kuwait 1-0 in their opening match. Iraq and Oman had begun with a very different feeling after their 1-1 draw exposed Iraq’s failure to turn first-half control into three points.
How Did Saudi Arabia Overwhelm Oman So Quickly?
The most impressive element of Saudi Arabia’s performance was the speed with which control became damage.
Where Did Oman Lose the Match?
Oman’s biggest problem was not simply conceding three goals. It was conceding all three before the match had developed into the type of contest they wanted.
How Did Iraq Beat Kuwait in a Five-Goal Second Half?
For 51 minutes, Kuwait and Iraq produced no goals.
How Did Yousef Nasser Almost Save Kuwait?
Kuwait’s elimination should not erase Yousef Nasser’s performance.
The outcomes were confirmed in the AFC’s official Gulf Cup 27 Group A report, while the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s tournament page records the updated standings and remaining fixtures.
What Happened in Saturday’s Gulf Cup 27 Group A Matches?
| Match | Result | Key Players | What It Changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oman vs Saudi Arabia | 0-3 | Feras Al Brikan, Hassan Kadesh, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat | Saudi Arabia qualified for the semifinals |
| Kuwait vs Iraq | 2-3 | Zidane Iqbal, Saif Rasheed, Karar Nabeel, Yousef Nasser | Iraq moved to four points; Kuwait were eliminated |
Saudi Arabia had entered Saturday as the only Group A team with three points after beating Kuwait 1-0 in their opening match. Iraq and Oman had begun with a very different feeling after their 1-1 draw exposed Iraq’s failure to turn first-half control into three points.
Saturday punished hesitation much more severely.
How Did Saudi Arabia Overwhelm Oman So Quickly?
The most impressive element of Saudi Arabia’s performance was the speed with which control became damage.
Al Brikan headed the hosts ahead in the 11th minute after Saleh Abu Al-Shamat supplied the delivery. Seven minutes later, defender Hassan Kadesh attacked another Abu Al-Shamat service and doubled the advantage.
By the 34th minute, Oman were effectively playing for survival. Sultan Mandash helped release Al Brikan, who drove his second goal into the net and gave Saudi Arabia a 3-0 halftime lead.
Saudi Arabia finished with 62 percent possession and 13 shots to Oman’s eight. More revealingly, the Green Falcons produced five efforts on target while Oman managed two. The hosts were able to move the ball with considerably greater security and completed far more passes during long periods of territorial control.
This was a major attacking improvement from the opening victory over Kuwait, when Saudi Arabia needed patience before finding the breakthrough.
Why Feras Al Brikan Was the Player Who Changed Saudi Arabia’s Tournament
Al Brikan’s brace matters beyond the numbers.
Saudi Arabia arrived at Gulf Cup 27 needing evidence that its attack could rediscover efficiency after a difficult World Cup. There had been encouraging discipline when Saudi Arabia held Uruguay 1-1, but the attacking limitations became much harder to ignore when Spain beat the Green Falcons 4-0.
Those problems followed Saudi Arabia into their final World Cup group match, where a 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde ended their campaign.
Against Oman, Al Brikan supplied the missing quality. His first goal rewarded Saudi Arabia’s early width and movement. His second showed the value of attacking space before Oman could rebuild its defensive shape.
Two goals from a striker inside the first 34 minutes also allowed Georgios Donis to manage the second half rather than chase it.
Saleh Abu Al-Shamat Gave Saudi Arabia More Than Goals
Al Brikan owns the headline, but Abu Al-Shamat helped give Saudi Arabia its attacking rhythm.
He supplied the first two goals, including the delivery Kadesh converted for 2-0. His ability to create from the right side repeatedly forced Oman to defend facing its own goal rather than stepping forward to pressure Saudi possession.
That matters because the strongest Saudi performances are rarely built around a single forward receiving isolated service. Their attack becomes much harder to contain when wide players and fullbacks create different entry points into the penalty area.
Where Did Oman Lose the Match?
Oman’s biggest problem was not simply conceding three goals. It was conceding all three before the match had developed into the type of contest they wanted.
Tarik Sektioui’s team had shown against Iraq that it could improve after halftime. Nasser Al-Rawahi’s equalizer in that opener came after Oman became more aggressive and attacked spaces that Iraq had controlled earlier.
Against Saudi Arabia, the halftime deficit was already 3-0.
Oman did produce signs of life after the interval. Abdullah Fawaz hit the crossbar shortly after the restart, and the team generated eight attempts overall. By then, Saudi Arabia no longer needed to chase another goal and could protect the areas that mattered most.
The lesson for Oman is uncomfortable but clear. Their second-half resilience has value, but tournament football becomes unforgiving when the first 30 minutes repeatedly require repair work.
How Did Iraq Beat Kuwait in a Five-Goal Second Half?
For 51 minutes, Kuwait and Iraq produced no goals.
The next 48 minutes produced five.
Zidane Iqbal opened the scoring in the 52nd minute after Ali Jasim created the opportunity. Kuwait captain Yousef Nasser responded from the penalty spot in the 75th minute.
Iraq then regained the lead through Saif Rasheed in the 83rd minute. Nasser refused to let Kuwait disappear, scoring again in the 90th minute to make it 2-2.
At that point, Kuwait had twice recovered from being behind and appeared to have rescued the point that could keep their tournament alive.
They did not.
Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi was sent off in stoppage time, and one minute later Karar Nabeel scored Iraq’s winner at 90+9.
Karar Nabeel and Ahmed Yahya Changed the Match From the Bench
Iraq’s decisive work came partly from Graham Arnold’s substitutions.
Karar Nabeel entered during the second half and eventually delivered the winning goal. Ahmed Yahya also came on and was credited with creating both Iraq’s second goal for Saif Rasheed and the stoppage-time winner for Nabeel.
That gives Iraq an important positive beyond the three points. The starting lineup did not have to solve every problem.
Arnold had seen the opposite problem in Iraq’s opening draw. They led Oman early but gradually lost influence after halftime. Against Kuwait, Iraq became more dangerous as the game opened up.
That is a significant change for a side whose World Cup exposed problems at both ends of the field. Iraq suffered badly when Erling Haaland led Norway to a 4-1 win, then struggled to create enough high-quality attacking moments when France beat Iraq 3-0.
Against Kuwait, Iraq found goals from three different players and decisive contributions from the bench.
How Did Yousef Nasser Almost Save Kuwait?
Kuwait’s elimination should not erase Yousef Nasser’s performance.
The captain converted the 75th-minute penalty and then found another equalizer in the 90th minute. Twice Kuwait needed a goal to stay in the match. Twice Nasser supplied it.
His brace transformed what could have become a routine Iraqi win into the most dramatic Group A match of the tournament so far.
Kuwait’s failure came elsewhere.
Having worked so hard to reach 2-2, they could not protect the point through stoppage time. Al-Awadhi’s dismissal at 90+8 reduced Kuwait to 10 men at the worst possible moment, and Iraq struck almost immediately.
The result leaves Kuwait on zero points after two matches. Their final game against Oman can change the final group order, but it cannot restore their semifinal hopes.
What Do Saturday’s Results Mean for Gulf Cup 27 Group A?
| Position | Team | Played | Points | Goal Difference | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 6 | +4 | Qualified for semifinals |
| 2 | Iraq | 2 | 4 | +1 | Strong position, qualification not yet mathematically settled |
| 3 | Oman | 2 | 1 | -3 | Still alive but need a final-round turnaround |
| 4 | Kuwait | 2 | 0 | -2 | Eliminated |
Saudi Arabia have become the first team to secure a semifinal place. Their final match against Iraq still matters because first place in the group remains available.
Iraq are in a commanding position but cannot treat qualification as complete. A defeat against Saudi Arabia could leave them on four points. Oman can also reach four by beating Kuwait, which would bring the competition’s tie-break criteria into play.
Oman’s task is therefore straightforward at the first stage: beat Kuwait and hope Saudi Arabia defeat Iraq. Kuwait are already out.
The short group format makes the margin for error unusually small. The same pressure is developing in Group B, where the UAE opened with a 4-0 win over Yemen and Qatar beat defending champions Bahrain 2-0.
The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation confirmed Jeddah as host of Gulf Cup 27, which runs from September 23 through October 6.
What Did Saudi Arabia and Iraq Do Better Than Oman and Kuwait?
Saudi Arabia Converted Control Into Goals
This was the clearest separation between Saudi Arabia and Oman. The hosts did not simply possess the ball. They converted their strongest period into a three-goal lead.
That distinction often decides short tournaments. Control without scoring leaves an opponent inside the game. Saudi Arabia removed that possibility before halftime.
Iraq Kept Finding Another Attacking Solution
Iraq had to solve the match repeatedly.
Iqbal gave them the first lead. Rasheed restored it after Nasser’s penalty. Nabeel found the third after Kuwait equalized again.
Continue the Soccer Story
Three different scorers made Iraq harder to contain, while Yahya’s second-half creativity gave Arnold another route to goal.
Oman Started Too Slowly
Oman’s improved second half could not undo the first 34 minutes. They reached halftime three goals down against a Saudi team that no longer needed to expose itself.
Kuwait Could Not Protect the Moments They Earned
Kuwait’s problem was very different.
They showed enough character to equalize twice. Their failure came immediately after the second comeback, when discipline and defensive control disappeared during the most sensitive period of the match.
What Happens Next in Gulf Cup 27 Group A?
Both final Group A matches are scheduled for September 29.
Saudi Arabia vs Iraq: Saudi Arabia are already qualified, but Iraq can still challenge them for first place. An Iraqi victory would take Graham Arnold’s team to seven points and above the hosts.
Oman vs Kuwait: Oman need victory to have any chance of reaching the semifinals. Kuwait play for pride after elimination, but their result could still have a major influence on which team joins Saudi Arabia in the knockout stage.
Saudi Arabia have already bought themselves certainty.
Iraq bought themselves control.
Oman now need help as well as a win, while Kuwait discovered how expensive one minute of stoppage-time disorder can become in a three-match group stage.
Gulf Cup 27 Saturday Matches: Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Oman vs Saudi Arabia score?
Saudi Arabia beat Oman 3-0 in their second Gulf Cup 27 Group A match in Jeddah.
Who scored for Saudi Arabia against Oman?
Feras Al Brikan scored in the 11th and 34th minutes. Hassan Kadesh scored Saudi Arabia’s second goal in the 18th minute.
Has Saudi Arabia qualified for the Gulf Cup 27 semifinals?
Yes. Saudi Arabia have six points from two matches and have already secured a semifinal place before facing Iraq.
What was the Kuwait vs Iraq score?
Iraq defeated Kuwait 3-2 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium.
Who scored Iraq’s winning goal against Kuwait?
Karar Nabeel scored in the 90+9th minute after Kuwait had equalized 2-2 in the 90th minute.
Who scored twice for Kuwait?
Yousef Nasser scored both Kuwait goals, converting a 75th-minute penalty and scoring again in the 90th minute.
Who leads Gulf Cup 27 Group A?
Saudi Arabia lead Group A with six points. Iraq are second with four, Oman have one and Kuwait have zero.
Can Iraq still miss the semifinals?
Yes. Iraq are strongly placed but not mathematically safe. If Iraq lose to Saudi Arabia and Oman beat Kuwait, both Iraq and Oman would finish on four points and tie-break criteria would become decisive.
Can Oman still qualify?
Yes. Oman must beat Kuwait and need the Saudi Arabia-Iraq result to create an opening for them on four points.
Is Kuwait eliminated from Gulf Cup 27?
Yes. Kuwait have zero points after two defeats and cannot reach the top two in Group A.
Gulf Cup 27
- UAE and Qatar Seal Gulf Cup Semifinal Spots as Defending Champions Bahrain Bow Out
- Saudi Arabia Storm Into Gulf Cup 27 Semifinals as Iraq Break Kuwait Hearts at 90+9
- Khoukhi and Al-Haydos Reset Qatar’s Mood as Holders Bahrain Fall 2-0
- Giménez Leads 25-Minute Blitz as UAE Open Gulf Cup 27 With 4-0 Rout of Yemen
- Abu Al-Shamat Answers First-Half Frustration as Saudi Arabia Edge Kuwait 1-0 in Gulf Cup 27
