Supersub sends Saudi into semis as Yemen make history

Substitute Abdullah al-Hamddan scored twice to send Saudi Arabia through to the semi-finals of the Khaleeji Zain 26 in Kuwait with a 3-1 victory over Iraq, while Yemen bagged their first ever win in the competition against Group B winners, Bahrain.
After an edgy 53 minutes at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium, the match burst into life when VAR instructed the referee to go to his monitor and he awarded a penalty to Saudi Arabia for handball.
Captain Salem al-Dawsari made no mistake from the spot to put his side 1-0 up.
But just when Saudi appeared to be turning the screw, Iraq levelled through Mohanad Ali in the 63rd minute to silence the large Saudi contingent.
Saudi Arabia, who will host the next edition of the Cup in 2026, only needed a draw to secure their last four place, and when substitute al-Hamddan cut in from the right in the 81st minute to fire a sublime left foot shot into the top corner to put them 2-1 ahead, Iraq’s hopes of retaining their title faded. And as they pushed forward in search of an equaliser, al-Dawsari broke into the Iraq half and delivered on a plate for supersub al-Hamddan to make it 3-1 with just five minutes left.
Saudi Arabian striker al-Hamdan expressed delight following their 3-1 victory.
Al-Hamdan emphasised Saudi Arabia’s dominance throughout the game, translating their efforts into a significant victory. He highlighted the creation of numerous scoring opportunities.
“This match presented a significant challenge for us as players,” al-Hamdan said after the match.
“We successfully achieved the desired outcome, fulfilling the aspirations and ambitions of our fans, which is paramount to us in this round,” he added.
He concluded by stating that the 3-1 victory will serve as motivation for the upcoming semi-final, where they aim to continue their journey and win the Gulf Cup title. Across the city at the Jaber Al Mubarak International Stadium, Yemen on Saturday stunned group leaders Bahrain by taking the lead in the 41st minute. A low cross into the box from Nasser al-Gahwashi was sliced into his own net by Bahraini midfielder Ibrahim al-Khatal. But their hopes of finishing in Kuwait with a first victory in the tournament seemed to be hit when Mohamed al-Romaihi equalised after 62 minutes.
Bahrain were reduced to 10-men when Sayed Baqer was sent off with 17 minutes remaining, and Yemen took advantage with a dramatic winner through Harwan al-Zubaidi late on. The results mean that Bahrain won Group B, and will face hosts Kuwait in the semi-finals after they finished second in Group A to winners Oman, who will take on Saudi Arabia. Both matches are scheduled to take place on Tuesday night.