Saudi Arabia beat UAE 2-0 to win Gulf Cup 27, ending 22-year drought
First-half goals from Hammam Al-Hammami and Feras Albrikan gave Saudi Arabia a 2-0 win over the UAE in the Gulf Cup 27 final in Jeddah, ending a 22-year wait for the trophy.
Saudi Arabia ended a 22-year wait for Gulf Cup glory on Tuesday night, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in the Gulf Cup 27 final at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
The Green Falcons struck twice in the opening 15 minutes to settle the contest. Hammam Al-Hammami opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Feras Albrikan doubled the lead two minutes later, leaving the UAE chasing the game for the remaining 75 minutes (Sportradar, VAVEL live blog).
It is Saudi Arabia’s first Gulf Cup triumph since 2004, ending a drought stretching across more than two decades. The UAE, whose most recent title came in 2013, were unable to find a way back despite the second half remaining goalless (Arabia Headline).
Saudi Arabia had reached the final in style, winning all three Group A matches before beating Qatar 3-2 on penalties in the semi-final after 120 goalless minutes. The UAE had topped their own group and edged Oman 1-0 in their semi-final, with Ousmane Camara scoring the winner in the 22nd minute.
The final was played at 9pm local time in front of a home crowd in Jeddah, capping a tournament in which the hosts never lost a game.
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