Oman coach Koeman pleased with team’s performance

MUSCAT, Nov 16 - Oman coach Erwin Koeman was pleased with the ‘Red Warriors’ 4-1 victory against Bangladesh in the 2022 Fifa World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification second round match but acknowledged the visitors fought it out in the first half. “The opponent was not an easy team and played strongly specially at the defense side as they delivered top performance in the first half which ended in a goalless draw. In the second half, there were some changes in the tactics which resulted to score with a super goal by Mohsin Jawher. The opening goal allowed the strikers to score more and that happened through scoring four goals later. The team faced some difficulty in the first half and we returned to the match in different style in the second part,” the Dutchman added. Oman now have nine points from four games played and are second in the group behind Qatar, who have 10 points from four matches. Mohsin Jawher as well as his teammates Al Mundhir al Alawi, Arshad Said al Alawi and Imran Said al Hidi worked hard to convert their chances into four goals to grab three crucial points and powered Oman to nine points. India’s match against Afghanistan in Dushanbe ended in a 1-1 draw on Thursday. With this draw, Afghanistan have four points and are in the third place while India have three points and stay in the fourth position. Koeman pointed out in the post match press conference that the team was flexible with their playing style as the visitors depended a lot on their defensive approach. “Mohsin Jawher was the key player as he broke the scoring woes. I instructed Jawher to be present up front and to support the strikers,” Oman’s head coach said. The ‘Red Warriors’ will have only five days to do the required recovery for the upcoming India match on Tuesday at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. “The next match against India will be tough as they have many talented and experienced players. They are technically better than Bangladesh. However, the difference in the India match is that the possibility of having better spaces in the field is more than the difficulty we had in the Bangladesh match,” Koeman concluded. Bangladesh coach Jamie Day said that he is proud with the performance of the players during the both half. “I already stated that Oman has a top football team and especially since the match is held in Muscat. However, my players missed four scoring chances in the first half. Changing the playing style in the second half resulted in us conceding four goals,” coach Day added. “It was a super goal scored by Biplo Ahmed in the 81th minute. We would have been able to reduce the goal difference if the scoring chances that came later were converted into the net,” Bangladesh coach concluded. The match recorded an attendance of 24,000 fans. A large number of Bangladeshi fans attended the big game along with a big chunk of Omani fans making it a spectacle to watch. The Oman team players will be back in action on Saturday after a day’s rest for the players who took part in the match. The short domestic camp will feature two training sessions including the physical practices in the gym and the tactical training in the evening session at Bausher. After the India match, the Sultanate football team will gear up for the 24th edition of the Gulf Cup which will take place in Qatar from November 26 to December 8. Oman will be placed in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain while the hosts Qatar will play against Iraq, UAE and Yemen in Group B.