Oman have reached the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup in extraordinary circumstances, after being chosen ahead of Iraq by a drawing of lots.
Oman’s 3-1 victory over Kuwait left them and Iraq level on four points in their group, and with identical records there was nothing left on the pitch to separate them. Lots were therefore drawn to determine which side would finish second and take the remaining place in the last four.
Organisers said the draw was the final tie-breaker, applied only once the selection criteria stipulated in the competition regulations had been exhausted. Those criteria covered head-to-head results, goal difference, the number of goals scored and disciplinary card points, and Oman and Iraq remained level until the last of them was reached. The lots were drawn in the presence of representatives of the concerned authorities, and Oman emerged as the team going through.
The count-back on cards gave Oman’s Musab Al-Shaqsy an unwitting role in the outcome. He scored his side’s third goal late on and was booked for pulling his shirt off as he celebrated, a yellow card that fed into the tally being used to separate the two teams.
It is not the first time a competition has been settled in such a fashion. At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Guinea progressed to the quarter-finals at Mali’s expense after the two could not be split. At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland finished tied in their group; both were already assured of a place in the next round, but lots were needed to determine who would qualify second and who third. Ireland were awarded second place and a game against Romania, while the Dutch ended up third and faced eventual winners West Germany. In 1970, lots were required at the World Cup to decide whether the Soviet Union or Mexico would be named winners of Group One, and the Soviet Union were deemed to have topped the group.
The drawing of lots remained the final tie-breaker at the World Cup until the 2022 tournament in Qatar, although it had not been needed since 1994. From then on it has been replaced by where teams stand in the latest Fifa world rankings, which are updated after every international match.