JEDDAH: The 27th Arabian Gulf Cup kicked off in Jeddah on Wednesday — coincidentally the 96th Saudi National Day — as Iraq and Oman faced off at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, ahead of a clash between group rivals Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The game was a rerun of the 2023 final, from which the Iraqis emerged as champions thanks to a 3-2 extra-time win, and it only took six minutes for Iraq to open the scoring, after Zaid Ismail won possession from the Omani defense and drove t
