(MENAFN- Arab Times) Qatari National Football Team emerged as champions in the 22nd Gulf Cup after conquering the Saudi Arabian National Team by 2-1 in a tension-filled final match on Wednesday. Al-Mahdi Ali and Khoukhi Bualam scored the winning goals for Qatar at 18th and 58th minutes respectively, while Saud Kariri scored the lone goal that could not rescue his team from the devastating loss. The victory means Qatar won the trophy three times, as they were champions in the 11th and 17th editions before the current win. This is the first time that Qatar won the cup outside their country, because the previous victories in 1992 and 2004 were in Doha. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq have all won the tournament three times each.
The match attracted massive number of spectators - about 60,000 people who filled King Fahad International Stadium to capacity, making it the best final compared to previous Gulf Cup tournaments. About 3,000 Qatari spectators were at the stadium to cheer their team. It was obvious that Saudi spectators went home disappointed since they expected their team to pick the trophy, but the visiting supporters had the last laugh.
Earlier, deposed Gulf Cup champions United Arab Emirates claimed third place in this year's event with a 1-0 win over Oman thanks to tournament top scorer Ali Mabkhout's fifth goal. Mabkhout's low shot in the 59th minute beat Oman keeper Ali Al Habsi to decide the outcome after both teams bowed out in the semi-finals earlier in the week. "Of course, this is not what we came here for. We came to be champions but the players did their best and I have to thank them," UAE coach Mahdi Ali told reporters. "Today we gave a chance to more players to see them ahead of the Asian Cup." The Asian Cup takes place in Australia in January.
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