Muscat: Oman’s hopes to seal a berth in the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 ended after a goalless draw against Iraq on Sunday night.
Qatar progressed into the Asian finals after securing a 4-1 triumph over Lebanon and emerging Group C winners on Sunday. Qatar topped the group with 10 points while Oman ended in second place with seven points. Iraq finished in third place with five points. Bahrain and Lebanon are in fourth and fifth places respectively with four and one points only.
At the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Oman boys entered the game with a situation of ending the game on a victorious note knowing that a win will boost their hopes of advancing among the six best runners-up. However, the national team player’s several chances went away from the net as the fixture ended in a goalless draw.
Oman opened their campaign with a perfect start as they registered a 2-1 victory over Lebanon and then they defeated Bahrain 2-0 to record their second consecutive win before going down 2-1 against Qatar. In the concluding round, Oman played out a goalless draw against Iraq. Oman’s absence in the forthcoming edition of AFC Asian finals in 2023 will be the first since 2010.
Group toppers Qatar, began the match against Lebanon with an aim of clinching the winning points which confirm their spot in the finals. Tahsin al Hagri, Ahmad Nasir Mahmood, Ali Mohammad Shahabi and Esmail Musaed Alahrak scored the winners' goals in the game while an own goal by Rashid Muneer Mazeeq gave Lebanon a consultation goal.
Exiting from the Asian finals in 2023 is the third disappointing event for the Oman national U-17 team. The boys were very eager to make a competitive return in the Asian qualifiers after a disappointing show by the team in the Arab Cup U-17 Championship in Algeria and West Asian U-17 Championships in Jordan. A comprehensive analysis is required to investigate the significant setback of the junior national team and finding the proper solutions for better show in the upcoming assignments.
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