MUSCAT, MAY 21
The Oman under-17 football team suffered a 3-1 loss against hosts Uzbekistan in their ongoing training camp in Tashkent. Aseel al Habsi scored the lone goal for the Omani side in the 35th minute of the first half. The team, coached by Anwar al Habsi, will have another friendly match against Uzbekistan on Wednesday to conclude the camp, which began last Friday and will end on Thursday.
Oman chose Tashkent for their preparation due to the rapid development of Uzbekistan’s junior national teams. Notably, the Uzbekistan U20 team won the AFC U20 Asian Cup last March, defeating Iraq 1-0 in the final. The Uzbekistan U17 team reached the semifinals of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Thailand 2023 last June, losing 1-0 to South Korea. Additionally, the Uzbekistan U23 team were runners-up in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, losing 1-0 to Japan in the final.
Besides the friendly matches, the Oman U17 team has been undergoing extensive training sessions in Tashkent, focusing on technical and tactical practices. These sessions aim to enhance the players' skills and include the application of several tactical drills.
The purpose of this camp is to prepare the team for upcoming assignments, including the AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers starting in October. The AFC U17 Asian Cup will be held in April 2025, with the qualifiers draw taking place in June. Oman may be one of the hosts for the qualifiers. The goal is to secure a spot in the finals by topping their group or being one of the best four second-placed teams, alongside the host nation, which will be announced next month.
Oman U17 team includes: Ahmed al Omrani, Fahad al Mashaykhi, Ziyad al Mataani, Osama al Maamari, Qais Ameen, Ali al Awaini, Riyadh al Tarshi, Mudathir al Batrani, Muath al Hinai, Yazen al Khadli, Abdullah al Saadi, Al Yazen al Balushi, Firas al Saadi, Al Waleed al Braidee, Aseel al Habsi, Sulaiman al Mahruqi, Ali al Shizawi, Ahmed al Rawahi, Ibrahim al Tamimi, Sulaiman al Kharousi, Al Hassan al Qasmi and Mohammed al Mashaykhi.
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