Saudi Arabia secured their spot in the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup with a game to spare following a comprehensive victory over Oman in Jeddah.
Feras Al Buraikan scored twice for Saudi Arabia, with Hassan Kadesh also on target as the hosts recorded their second successive victory in Group A.
The result leaves Saudi Arabia on six points after a 1-0 win over Kuwait to open their campaign.
The Saudis face Iraq in their final Group A assignment on Tuesday, with the Iraqis looking to join them in the last four of the eight-team tournament.
"We had a very good first half. Our positioning was very good, and when we lost the ball, we pressed collectively. We waited for the right moment to score," said Saudi coach Georgios Donis.
“I was not satisfied with our performance in the second half. We had some injuries, and Oman had some chances.
“It is important that we maintain our performance until the final whistle.”
Iraq leave it late against Kuwait
Iraq left it late to beat Kuwait, with substitute Karrar Nabeel grabbing the winner to secure a 3-2 victory.
Zidane Iqbal put Iraq ahead early in the second half before Yousef Nasser equalised from the penalty spot.
Both sides scored again before Nabeel's stoppage-time goal secured all three points for Iraq.
It put the Iraqis on four points in Group A. A point against Oman will be enough to see them progress.
“The most important thing for me is that the players remained fully focused from the beginning of the match until the end and maintained their concentration throughout,” said Iraq coach Graham Arnold.
“We played a match in which we were the better side and created a large number of chances. That is important for us.”
Dalic: UAE not among favourites
Attention now turns to Group B on Sunday, with the UAE facing Bahrain in their second match of the tournament.
The UAE began their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Yemen and can book their spot in the semi-finals with another three points against Bahrain.
Head coach Zlatko Dalic said he was not taking Bahrain lightly.
“Bahrain have an experienced coach and several experienced players," the Croatian told reporters ahead of the match.
"They are also a very stable team with a strong fighting spirit. We have studied all possible scenarios to limit their threat.”
He added, “We are here to give our best, build for the future, continue working, and secure the win that would guarantee qualification to the semi-finals. I also want to stress that we are not among the favourites to win the title. I do not want to put more pressure on the players. Our full focus is on tomorrow’s match.”
