Referee 'blows whistle' at Asian Cup

The goal in the sixth minute of injury time was ruled invalid, but referee Shaun Evans later changed his decision to help Saudi Arabia beat Oman 2-1 in Group F of the 2023 Asian Cup.

In the sixth minute of injury time, when the score was 1-1, from a corner kick by Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Ali Lajami headed the ball into the penalty area, allowing captain Ali Al-Bulaihi to fly and finish into the Oman net.

Al-Bulaihi (right in blue) dives to head the ball into the Oman net in the 6th minute of stoppage time at Khalifa Stadium, Doha, January 16. Photo: AFP — Al-Bulaihi (right in blue) dives to head the ball into the Oman net in the 6th minute of stoppage time at Khalifa Stadium, Doha, January 16. Photo: *AFP*

The goal was initially disallowed when the linesman raised his flag for offside. Saudi Arabia's players protested, with Al-Bulaihi gesturing to indicate his goal was legal.

After consulting with the VAR team, referee Shaun Evans signaled against the goal and awarded a goal kick to Oman. The Oman players were elated and quickly started to attack.

But just as the ball crossed the center circle, referee Evans suddenly announced that the Saudi goal was valid. At that moment, the emotions at Khalifa Stadium reversed. The Oman players held their heads, while the Saudis went to the corner of the field to celebrate the goal. Among them, Al-Bulaihi celebrated the goal by blowing on the balloon, then dropping it behind him.

Minutes later, semi-automatic offside technology showed that Al Bulayhi was not offside when he received the ball from Ali Lajami's header, and Saudi Arabia's winning goal was completely valid.

Saudi Arabia players (in blue) celebrate their victory after defeating Oman 2-1 at Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar in the first round of Group F of the 2023 Asian Cup on January 16. Photo: AFP

At Khalifa Stadium on the evening of January 16, Saudi Arabia, under Italian coach Roberto Mancini, were rated higher before the match. But Oman unexpectedly opened the scoring in the 14th minute. In a quick counter-attack, Mushen Al Ghassani entered the penalty area and was fouled by Hassan Tambakti. After going to the sideline to review the video, referee Evans awarded Oman a penalty. From the 11m mark, Salah Al Yahyaei shot towards the center, while goalkeeper Ahmed Al Kassar dived to the left.

Mancini's men then dominated, creating numerous chances, but had to wait until the 78th minute to equalise thanks to a moment of individual brilliance. Substitute Abdulrahman Ghareeb dribbled through a six-man Oman squad, burst into the box and curled the ball into the net across Al Mukhaini's net. Ghareeb, 26, is a midfielder who plays for Al Nassr - Cristiano Ronaldo's club.

Main developments of the match Saudi Arabia 2-1 Oman.

In the sixth minute of injury time, Ghareeb continued to make his mark with a corner kick that led to Al-Bulaihi's decisive goal. Despite winning 2-1, Saudi Arabia still finished second in Group F, behind Thailand - the club that opened with a 2-0 win over Kyrgyzstan.

In the next round on January 21, Mancini and his team will meet the weakest opponent in the group, Kyrgyzstan, while Thailand will face Oman.

Hong Duy

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