He took off his shirt — and sent the semifinal race to drawing lots. VIDEO
One celebration turned an already incredible qualification scenario completely upside down.
Details: Oman produced a dramatic comeback to beat Kuwait 3-1 in the final round of Group A at the Arabian Gulf Cup, while Saudi Arabia defeated Iraq 2-0 in the simultaneous match. Those results left Oman and Iraq level on four points, with the same goal difference of minus one and four goals scored, while their head-to-head meeting had also ended 1-1.
The decisive moment came after Musab Al Shaqsy scored Oman's third goal against Kuwait. At that point, Oman appeared to hold the advantage over Iraq on the disciplinary Fair Play criterion and were seemingly heading into the semifinals.
But Al Shaqsy took off his shirt while celebrating and was shown a yellow card. That booking also levelled the teams on disciplinary points, meaning there was no longer a sporting tiebreaker capable of separating Oman and Iraq.
According to the tournament regulations, drawing of lots is the final criterion when teams remain level after head-to-head results, overall goal difference, goals scored and disciplinary points. The 27th Arabian Gulf Cup is being staged in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals.
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Steven Perez
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