Sohar and Dhofar Share Points in Stalemate
Sohar and Dhofar played out a 0:0 draw in the Professional League on Thursday. The result left Sohar with four points from two games and Dhofar still on zero after two defeats. A red card arrived in the final moments but changed nothing on the scoreline.
And here's the thing about this fixture — it was meant to be straightforward. Sohar came in seventh, unbeaten with a win and a draw, while Dhofar sat fourteenth with two losses. The home side should have settled it before the whistle. They didn't.
By then, Sohar had already shown they could string results together. A 1:0 win over Fanja on Wednesday, a 3:1 victory against Ibra in August. They knew how to close games out. Against Dhofar, they couldn't. The visitors lost 1:2 to Al-Nassr on their last outing and 0:2 to Oman before that — they were not dangerous going forward either.
The match itself rarely broke. Both sides kept their shape, neither took risks they couldn't afford. To be fair, that was the only way to play when neither team had much to lose. Sohar had already secured their start; Dhofar needed a point to stop the streak of defeats completely.
Then the red card came at 90+4. One player sent off, but the game was already dead. The moment arrived too late for either side to change the outcome. It was a dramatic finish to a game that had been anything but.
So the prediction of a home win did not come true. Not because Sohar played poorly, but because Dhofar held firm for ninety minutes and then the red card meant there was no chance to break through anyway. The visitors ran out of legs, but they also ran out of time.
Sohar remain in the upper half with four points. Dhofar stay bottom with none. The gap between them is eight points, and neither side has much room to breathe yet.