2007 Gulf Cup of Nations
| كأس الخليج العربي, او خليجي 18 Kass Al-Khaleej Al-Arabi, or Khaleeji 18 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United Arab Emirates |
| Dates | 17 January to 30 January |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 United Arab Emirates |
| Runners-up |
 Oman |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 31 (2.07 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Ismail Matar (5) |
| Best player |
Ismail Matar |
The 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations or Arabian Gulf Cup (Arabic: كأس الخليج العربي), the 18th edition, took place in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, from January 17, 2007 to January 30, 2007.
The tournament was won by the host country United Arab Emirates, who beat neighbors Oman 1-0 in the final, courtesy of a goal by Ismail Matar who finished the tournament as top scorer with 5 goals in all. The UAE became the fifth country to lift the title after Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In the competition there was also some very serious disciplinary problems with a total of 38 yellow cards and 7 red cards awarded in only 12 matches. As in previous Gulf Cups there have also been bad refereeing calls.
The 18th Gulf Cup of Nations also had featured dramatically increased attendance when compared to the 2002 Gulf Cup of Nations in Riyadh, and the 2003 Gulf Cup of Nations in Kuwait.
Matches
Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oman |
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| United Arab Emirates |
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 |
 Kuwait |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | –2 |
 Yemen |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | –2 |
January 23, 2007 |
| United Arab Emirates |
3 – 2 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
Matar  1' 90+1' Khalil 33' |
Al-Mutawa 31' Al-Fahd 35' |
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia |
7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
 Bahrain |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Iraq |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Qatar |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
Semi Finals
Final
Trivia
- In the beginning 15 minutes of the Oman-Yemen game, the cameras were malfunctioning, resulting in the side cameras being the only coverage of that part of the match.
Winners
| Gulf Cup of Nations 2007 Winners |
|---|
United Arab Emirates First title |
Awards
| Top Goalscorers | Most Valuable Player | Best Goalkeeper | Fair Play Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismail Matar |
Ismail Matar |
Ali Al Habsi |
Yemen |
Top-Scorers
5 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
- Fahd Al-Fahd
- Fahad Al-Rashidi
- Sultan Al-Touqi
- Fawzi Bashir
- Badar Al-Maimani
- Hashim Saleh
- Khalfan Ibrahim
- Ali Hussein
- Malek Mouath
- Faisal Khalil