Muscat: The Oman national junior team qualified for the Asian Hockey Cup Finals after clinching the fifth-place at the Men’s Junior AHF Cup 2024. They secured their spot with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Indonesia in the fifth-place play-off match held in Singapore on Saturday.
Oman team controlled the course from the beginning to take the lead in the eighth minute of the first half from a penalty kick successfully executed by Aiman Madit. But the Indonesian team quickly returned to the match, after Wibowo Arthur scored the equaliser in the 12th minute from a penalty kick. The first half ended in a positive draw 1-1.
In the second half, the national team continued its pressure on Indonesia's goal, by organising its offensive and defensive lines and was able to add three more goals, as Aiman Madit scored a second goal in the 16th minute from a penalty kick. After that, the pressure on the Oman team players continued, as player Hasni al Hussaini was able to add the third goal in the 22nd minute. Then the brilliant Aiman Madit returned to score the team's fourth goal and his third personal goal in the match in the 23rd minute, so the excitement continued until the end of the second half when the Oman team players were able to finish with a score of 4-1.
The Omani team entered the third half to maintain the score, while the Indonesian team tried to reduce the difference, and was able to score a single goal from a penalty kick executed by Raditya Derangga in the 34th minute. After that, the pressure on the Indonesian team players continued, but the Oman defences were able to prevent all chances, and the half ended with Oman lead 4-2.
At the beginning of the fourth half, the Indonesian team was able to reduce the difference by scoring the third goal in the 49th minute through player Wibowo Arthur. The pressure continued on our national team's goal, and from a quick rebound, player Hasni al Hussaini was able to score the fifth goal in the 56th minute.
Talal Mohammed was named the Player of the Match. He expressed his delight after the award ceremony, saying, "We achieved a tough victory, as the match intensified in the final minutes. But thanks to the players' fighting spirit, we managed to win and qualify for the Asian Cup Finals. This achievement is a great motivation for us to continue developing and achieving more success in the future. We promise the fans to deliver positive results in upcoming tournaments."
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