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Cabo Verde v Saudi Arabia: Group H - FIFA World Cup 2026Getty Images Sport
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Take four: the Gulf Cup 27 curse strikes two more Saudi stars

Saudi Arabia's injury curse rolls on at the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", with two more stars struck down.

The Saudis faced Oman on Saturday at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah, in the second round of the Gulf tournament's group stage.

Two players limped out during the game. Midfielder Alaa Al Haji went first, leaving at half-time and making way for Ziyad Al-Johani.

Defender Hassan Kadesh followed midway through the second half. A crunching challenge in midfield forced Greek coach Georgios Donis to withdraw him and send on Jihad Zikri.

So the run of injuries goes on. Goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi was the last victim, hobbling off in the previous match against Kuwait before being ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

Mohammed Al-Qahtani missed the Oman clash altogether, having sat out the team's group training over the past two days with abdominal pains.

All of this leaves Saudi Arabia in a bind heading into their third group match. They meet Iraq next Tuesday at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah.

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