Iraq beat Qatar to set up Gulf Cup final showdown with Oman

Hosts Iraq have reached the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup, beating Qatar 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Ibrahim Bayesh opened the scoring for Iraq at the Basra International Stadium in the 19th minute on Monday before Qatar equalised through Amro Surag 10 minutes later.

Aymen Hussein scored the winner for Iraq two minutes before the interval to ensure the hosts made it to their sixth final in the biennial tournament.

Iraq, three-time Gulf Cup champions, will take on Oman in the final on Thursday.

Oman reached the final with a 1-0 win over Bahrain.

A goal by Jameel al-Yahmadi in 83rd-minute helped Oman reach their fifth final.

Following his team’s elimination from the tournament, Qatar’s coach Bruno Miguel Pinheiro said he was satisfied with his players’ performance, adding that the Maroons’ showing may have been affected by fatigue.

“We appeared well during the four matches we played,” the Portuguese coach said after the match in Basra.

Pinheiro said it was a good learning curve for his young side, acknowledging that Iraq took their chances well and were the more clinical of the two teams.