DUBAI: Oman captain Ahmed Mubarak had triple reason to celebrate on Tuesday. He reached the Gulf Cup final, was named man of the match and became a father.
“I dedicate this win to my dear wife and my new born baby,” he said following Oman’s 1-0 victory over Bahrain in Kuwait. “We haven’t named him yet, so we have to look into this now. I was a bit nervous but I finally received the good news [about becoming a father] before the match. I am glad to have been named man of the match. Credit goes to my teammates who have all fought hard and helped me play well. Bahrain were a strong team and applied a lot of pressure on us, especially in the second half, but we managed to get the all-important win.”
Naming his son will probably be the easier task for Mubarak than facing neighbors and favorites UAE in Friday’s final. The two contested the 2007 final, with the Whites lifting the trophy on that occasion. Oman will be out for revenge.
Mubarak has fond memories of facing the UAE on Kuwaiti soil, having scored his maiden international goal in a 2-0 win against the Whites at the 2003 Gulf Cup. He is optimistic of repeating the result. “I hope I can bring the trophy home,” he said. “It would be a great gift for my family and for our fans.”
The veteran midfielder, 32, was a key cog in the Oman sides that reached the Gulf Cup final in 2004 and 2007, losing twice before finally winning the title on home turf in 2009 alongside the likes of goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi.
Al-Habsi missed the opportunity to make a fourth appearance in the final, as his club side Al-Hilal refused to make him available for national team duty, but his replacement Fayez Al-Rashidi has been one of the stars of the tournament.
Oman’s No. 18 is yet to concede a single goal from open play in the tournament. In fact, the only player to beat him was UAE’s Ali Mabkhout from the spot in the opening match. Al-Rashidi’s heroics between the sticks ensured Al-Habsi was missed by the Reds.
“Whether it is me or Ali, we all just try to represent the Sultanate in the best way possible,” said Rashidi. “I am thankful that I was able to step up and perform so well in this tournament. We did a good job against a difficult Bahrain side and made it to the final. I would like to thank our fans who turned out in good numbers and supported us. I hope we see even more fans in the final. We are now very close to the title and we will give our best to win on Friday and do our fans proud.”
Oman’s captain Ahmed Mubarak reaches Gulf Cup final, becomes a father
Oman’s captain Ahmed Mubarak reaches Gulf Cup final, becomes a father
Hakimi, Salah and Osimhen head star-packed AFCON last-16 cast
- A star-studded cast led by Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen switch to knockout fare from Saturday, when the Africa Cup of Nations resumes in Morocco
RABAT: A star-studded cast led by Achraf Hakimi, Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen switch to knockout fare from Saturday, when the Africa Cup of Nations resumes in Morocco.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Hakimi was crowned 2025 African player of the year in November. Liverpool attacker Salah and Galatasaray striker Osimhen were the runners-up.
After 36 matches spread across six groups, the 16 survivors from 24 hopefuls clash in eight second-round matches over four days.
Fit-again Hakimi is set to lead title favorites Morocco against Tanzania, Salah will captain Egypt against Benin and Osimhen-inspired Nigeria tackle Mozambique.
AFP Sport looks at the match-ups that will determine which nations advance to the quarter-finals, and move one step closer to a record $10 million (8.5 million euros) first prize.
Senegal v Sudan
Veteran Sadio Mane and Paris Saint-Germain 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, in two appearances off the bench, have been among the stars as 2022 champions Senegal confirmed why they are among the favorites by winning Group D. Sudan, representing a country ravaged by civil war since 2023, reached the second round despite failing to score. Their only Group F win, against Equatorial Guinea, came via an own goal.
Mali v Tunisia
“If we carry on playing like this we will not go much further,” warned Belgium-born Mali coach Tom Saintfiet after three Group A draws. Tunisia did well to hold Morocco, but were woeful against Nigeria until they trailed by three goals. The Carthage Eagles then scored twice and came close to equalising.
Morocco v Tanzania
A mismatch on paper as Morocco, whose only previous title came 50 years ago, are 101 places above Tanzania in the world rankings. The east Africans ended a 45-year wait to get past the first round thanks to two draws. Morocco boast a potent strike force of Brahim Diaz from Real Madrid and Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos. They have scored three goals each to share the Golden Boot lead with Algerian Riyad Mahrez.
South Africa v Cameroon
South Africa debuted in the AFCON 30 years ago by hammering Cameroon 3-0 in Johannesburg. It should be much closer when they meet a second time with only four places separating them in the world rankings. In pursuit of goals, South Africa will look to Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster while 19-year-old Christian Kofane struck a stunning match-winner for Cameroon against Mozambique.
Egypt v Benin
Struggling to score for Liverpool this season, Salah has regained his appetite for goals in southern Morocco. He claimed match winners against Zimbabwe and South Africa to win Group B. Benin celebrated their first AFCON win 25 years after debuting by edging Botswana. The Cheetahs are a compact, spirited outfit led by veteran striker Steve Mounie, but lack punch up front.
Nigeria v Mozambique
Livewire Osimhen is a huge aerial threat and could have scored hat-tricks against Tanzania and Tunisia in Group C, but managed just one goal. Fellow former African player of the year Ademola Lookman has also impressed. Mozambique lost 3-0 in their previous AFCON meeting with the Super Eagles 16 years ago. It is likely to be tighter this time with striker Geny Catamo posing a threat for the Mambas (snakes).
Algeria v DR Congo
The clash of two former champions is potentially the match of the round. It is the only tie involving two European coaches — Bosnian Vladimir Petkovic and Frenchman Sebastien Desabre. Algeria and Nigeria were the only teams to win all three group matches. Former Manchester City winger Mahrez has been an inspirational captain while scoring three times.
Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso
This is the only match featuring nations from the same region. Burkina Faso and defending champions Ivory Coast share a border in west Africa. Manchester United winger Amad Diallo was the only winner of two player-of-the-match awards in the group stage. The Ivorian now face impressive Burkinabe defenders Edmond Tapsoba and Issoufou Dayo.
