DAMMAM: The long drought is over; Saudi Arabia are Arabian Gulf Cup champions once more, after claiming the title for the fourth time in their history but the first since 2003/04.

The Green Falcons enjoyed a fairly comfortable 2-0 victory over the UAE in the final on Tuesday, after a quickfire double inside the first 13 minutes gave the host nation a comfortable lead they held for the rest of the match.

The 62,827 fans who packed into King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, with the home support joined by a strong away contingent of Emirati fans, created a lively atmosphere ahead of kick-off with flares, tifos and chants.

Once the fans had their moment, the players took center stage, and after just 11 minutes, a corner from Saleh Abu Al-Shamat was cut out by the Emirati defense, only for the ball to fall to Hammam Al-Hammami outside the area. The Al-Shabab winger, who has given fans plenty to think about given Salem Al-Dawsari’s time with the national team is winding down, turned and fired, his effort deflecting off Bruno’s shin and past goalkeeper Khalid Eissa for the opener.

The Saudi onslaught continued almost immediately from the restart, as a neat move created their second of the night. Left-back Moteb Al-Harbi released Al-Hammami in transition, who pulled the UAE defense deep into their own half before threading a pass to Nasser Al-Dawsari, who timed his through ball perfectly to land in the path of Feras Al-Brikan, who dutifully finished off the move.

Saleh Abu Al-Shamat had the chance to make it three goals in the space of five minutes when his brother, right-back Mohammed, slipped him through on goal in the 16th minute. Saleh dummied his way past the UAE defense before dinking the ball toward the far corner of the net, vacated by the onrushing Eissa, only for his effort to hit the post.

The UAE were at a loss; this was the first time they had found themselves so thoroughly dominated since the arrival of manager Zlatko Dalic following his departure from the Croatian national team during the summer.

A swift switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation, in which Nicolas Gimenez dropped deeper to allow for more third-man runs, came close to paying dividends for the UAE in the 23rd minute, when Mamadou Coulibaly released him through on goal, only for his effort to strike the post.

The Whites seemed to be close to pulling one back when Gimenez stepped up to take a penalty in the 39th minute, after Bruno was brought down by Hassan Al-Tambakti in the box, no doubt with the memory of his miss against Oman in the semifinal still fresh in his mind. However, the referee halted play for a review by the video assistant referee, the penalty was ruled out and play resumed.

Dalic refreshed his side’s attack in the second half when he introduced Ali Saleh for Bruno. Meanwhile, Ruben Canedo shifted to right-back in place of Marcus Meloni, who made way for Richard Akonnor at left-back.

Moments after coming on, another UAE substitute, Sultan Adil, came within inches of scoring when Guilherme Bala released him in transition, but Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais denied him, maintaining both his own clean sheet and Saudi Arabia’s unblemished defensive record in the tournament.

Saleh Abu Al-Shamat had another opportunity to put the game beyond doubt in the 60th minute when he found himself in front of Eissa with clear sight of goal. Despite his evident quality on the ball throughout the evening, the effort was tame and Eissa gathered comfortably.

Saudi Arabia again went close to grabbing a third in the 83rd minute, in remarkable fashion. Center-back Abdulelah Al-Amri, who had already sent the fans into raptures with a series of momentum-killing slide tackles in the second half, almost crowned his outstanding performance with a bicycle kick, but it flew over the bar.

Substitute Fabio Lima had the final attempts at pulling one back for the UAE, in the 88th minute, but was denied twice, first by the crossbar and then by Al-Owais.

Tensions boiled over in the closing moments when Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed, who had already issued three yellow cards in the 82nd minute for unsportsmanlike conduct, reached for his red card and showed it to UAE substitute Khaled Ibrahim, who had not even made it onto the pitch; still wearing his squad bib, he was given his marching orders for shoving the assistant referee during a melee between the two sides.

And with that, the long Saudi wait was over. Twenty-two years without a title, a timid World Cup performance, and no shortage of doubt — all of it washed away in one joyous night in Jeddah. Under Georgios Donis, the Green Falcons have rediscovered themselves, and now they will head toward the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in January with a title to their name and belief coursing through the squad.

For the first time in a long time, the optimism feels earned.