Doha: Oman national football team ended their second match at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 with a goalless draw against Thailand on Sunday.
At Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Al Duhail Club, victory eluded Red Warriors after they finished their opening match with a 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia. The draw gave Oman their first point in group F while Thailand raised their tally to four points after 2-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in the opener.
The meet started with clear pressure from Thailand team while Omani midfielder Abdullah Fawaz saved Oman net from a goal in the 16th minute. Oman’s goalie Ibrahim al Mukhaini saved many direct shots from Thailand strikers, most notably in the 41st and 44th minutes.
The first half ended goalless with Oman's 61 per cent possession and one direct shot. Thailand had 39 per cent possession of the ball and three direct shots.
The deciding half began with great enthusiasm as Abdullah Fawaz created an amazing head kick in the 55th minute while Ahmed al Khamisi confronted the attack from Thailand player Suphanat Mueanta in the 53rd minute.
Thailand player Theerathon Bunmathan got a yellow card in the 55th minute.
Oman missed many scoring attempts and the strongest was from a direct kick in 72nd minute.
Despite the goalless draw, Oman’s hopes to move into the second round are still alive as the next match against Kyrgyzstan on Thursday will determine the entry to the next level. Saudi Arabia will face Thailand in a tight clash at the same time.
Omani midfield player, Hareb al Saedi was declared player of the match as he showed top technical performance during the game.
Thailand appeared content with a draw, which leaves them top of Group F on four points after two games and with a good chance of progressing to the last 16. Saudi Arabia are second on three points but have a game in hand, against Kyrgyzstan later on Sunday. The top two are guaranteed to reach the next phase, but third place could also be enough.
Oman and Thailand match was officiated by Iranian referee Moaz Fanadifar, with Saeed Qassemi as assistant. Ali Reza Eldrum was the second assistant and the fourth referee was Ali Reza Faghani. Muhammad Abdullah Hassan from UAE was assigned as the VAR referee.
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