Despite the loss Yemen made history by scoring twice in a game for the first time at the Arabian Gulf Cup.

The first Arabian Gulf Cup match of the day on Monday marked an important one for both Yemen and Oman, the first of which lost to Saudi Arabia while the latter debuted in the competition with a draw.

It only took minutes for Oman to open the scoring, with Jameel Al-Yahmadi securing a goal in the third minute of the match at Basra International Stadium.

However, moments later, a fierce challenge was tried by the Yemenis, who ran through the break of the Omani defence, finding a penalty in between.

Midfielder Abdulwasea Al-Matari sent a clutch equaliser to the right corner of the net, balancing the match in the 12th minute.

Both sides looked to score another as the game tied 1-1 but were equally matched offensively and defensively.

Omar Abdullah Al-Dahi upped the Yemen score when he nailed a beautiful screamer that edged past the hands of Oman’s goalkeeper.

The Yemeni shocker only roused Arshad Al Alawi to seek revenge for his squad. Shortly after the Omani nailed a free-kick that slipped through the fingers of the Yemeni goalkeeper in what was a clear uncomfortable goal for the Yemeni side.

Fortunately, the team was saved when Alawi missed the penalty for Oman in the 45th minute.

At half-time, both teams tied 2-2, with Oman holding a higher ball possession.

As the game restarted, Branko Ivankovic’s side sought to stay on top of the Yemenis and eventually Essam al-Subhi scored Oman’s third goal.

With the game stretching to the final 20 minutes, Oman held on to the possession, attacking and creating more plays.

In the 91st minute, Yemen was given a golden opportunity to set the tie but squandered the penalty kick in stoppage time.

Iraq on top

In the second match of the day, the first attack came from the Iraqi team, who were playing on their home pitch against Saudi Arabia.

Iraq shot a few shots, but the Saudi goalkeeper effortlessly saved them, exemplifying a need for a strong attack by the hosts.

An extremely drenched field slowed the footballers on the pitch, who struggled to make a consistent attack.

The waterlogged pitch almost created a self-goal by Saudi Arabia with Ali Lajami nearly scoring in his own net in the 24th minute.

However, despite the harsh conditions, Iraq made it count with Ibrahim Bayesh finding a corner and striking the ball into the box.

The clutch goal fostered a clamorous stadium cheer, encouraging the Iraqi squad to continue the game strong.

Ahead of Saudi Arabia, Iraq continued to dominate the attack and sent numerous shots on target as the Falcons struggled to find their feet.

With extra time in the first half, Iraq looked to make a second goal, but Saudi’s goalkeeper prevailed when he saved a tight shot.

Post-halftime, the game continued as it started, with Iraq almost pitching in a header.

Again with another opportunity in the 54th minute, Hassan Abdul-Karim thrashed past the Saudi defence but lost his balance to the wet pitch, losing his close attack.

Insisting in search of the second goal, Iraq’s Aso Rostam chased a corner with a header into the goal in the 86th minute.

A VAR check ultimately ruled in favour of the Iraqi footballers, bringing the game to a 2-0 win.