DUBAI: On Saturday evening, Saudi Arabia defeated Qatar 3-2 in dramatic penalty shootout to reach the final of the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, where they will meet the UAE, who overcame Oman 1-0 in the second semifinal later that night.
The showdown at Al-Inma park will be the latest in a long history of vital matches between the neighbors. Here we look at five historically consequential clashes between the Green Falcons and the Whites.
The first-ever match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE to take place in the Arabian Gulf Cup came in the second edition of the tournament, hosted in Riyadh.
The competition was still finding its feet and in many ways was a microcosm of the issues it faced in its first — and often second — decade: refereeing controversies, walkouts, expulsions.
The hosts were joined by only four other teams: reigning champions Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and, making their debut, the UAE. Bahrain were eventually ejected from the tournament after abandoning their match against Saudi Arabia, and all their results were expunged.
The 4-0 win for the Green Falcons over the UAE at what would become Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium was only enough to secure second place behind Kuwait, the Gulf’s dominant force for years to come.
At the newly built King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, a capacity crowd produced an atmosphere for the ages, as two teams with ambitions to win the title produced one of the tournament’s great matches.
The UAE raced into a two-goal lead with goals from the gifted Zuhair Bakhit but, spurred on by the raucous Saudi supporters, the home team halved the deficit through Abdullah Ghurab’s header just after the hour mark, before Majed Abdullah stooped to nod in the equalizer four minutes from the end.
A point from a dramatic encounter was ultimately of little use to either team as Iraq took the title of the round robin competition with the UAE in second, and Saudi Arabia in third.
It may not be one of the most memorable dates for football fans across the Gulf, but it remains a pivotal one in the history of UAE football.
The match represented the third fixture of the final round of Asian Football Federation qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup, a group format that also included North Korea, South Korea, Qatar and China.
The UAE had drawn 0-0 with North Korea and beaten China 2-1, while Saudi Arabia had lost 2-1 to China before drawing 1-1 with Qatar. Neither team could afford to lose, and neither did. But a 0-0 draw hardly inspired thoughts of qualification to Italy.
However, that point would prove essential as the UAE went to claim more two draws against Qatar and South Korea to miraculously reach their first ever World Cup finals.
Lost in the drama of the historic achievement was the fact that, purely in mathematical terms, had the Green Falcons scored just one goal — and claimed a subsequent win — against the UAE in that match, it would have been them going to the World Cup and not the Whites.
Instead, the glory went to the Emiratis.
UAE 0-0 Saudi Arabia (Saudi win on penalties)
The highest-stakes match ever between the two teams was a tense affair at Zayed Sports City Stadium, which could have been settled in favor of the home team had the UAE’s greatest footballer at the time, Adnan Al-Talyani, not skied a chance high into the Abu Dhabi night when the goal was at his mercy.
The UAE would live to regret that opportunity. After 120 minutes of toil, the match remained scoreless and went to penalties. Three spot-kick misses from the home team meant Yousuf Al-Thunayyan had the opportunity to win the AFC Asian Cup for Saudi Arabia for the third time.
He scored to spark wild scenes of celebrations among the squad while the UAE fans were stunned into silence. It was the nearest the UAE have ever come to winning the continental title, and the last time that Saudi Arabia did.
2007 Arabian Gulf Cup semifinal — Abu Dhabi
In 2007, the UAE had one of Gulf and Arab football’s greatest talents in Ismail Matar. The 18th edition of the Gulf Cup, on home soil, would prove to be his tournament.
The semifinal between the UAE and Saudi Arabia at Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi looked to be heading into extra with the score still 0-0. Then up stepped Matar to score stunning right footed winner in the first minute of stoppage time to send the Whites to the final.
Remarkably, he would replicate the goal in the final against Oman a few days later to give the UAE their first ever Gulf Cup win. For Saudi Arabia, it was another missed opportunity, and the Green Falcons have been waiting for their next title since.
Stay on top of the issues that matter to you the most.
