Drawing of lots sends Oman through to Gulf Cup semis

What the report says

Oman have reached the Gulf Cup semi-finals after an unusual tie-break left them ahead of Iraq in a drawing of lots, BBC Sport Football reported. Both teams finished level on four points in their group, leaving organisers to use the competition’s final regulations-based decider after head-to-head results, goal difference, goals scored and disciplinary points still could not separate them.

The decisive margin came down to yellow cards. Oman’s Musab Al-Shaqsy was booked for removing his shirt after scoring in a 3-1 win over Kuwait, and that disciplinary record ultimately formed part of the count-back process. BBC Sport said Oman and Iraq were still tied after all listed criteria had been applied, so a draw was held in the presence of representatives of the relevant authorities, with Oman emerging as the side to progress.

The result means Oman join the last four despite a situation that was settled away from the pitch. Iraq were eliminated on the basis of the tiebreak procedure, while Saudi Arabia’s 2-0 win over Iran also factored into the final group standings. BBC Sport noted that drawings of lots are rare in modern football, though they have been used in previous tournaments when teams could not be separated by the standard rules.