MUSCAT: The Oman national football team edged Yemen 1-0 in the friendly match on Monday night as part of the team’s domestic preparatory camp in Muscat ahead of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup which is scheduled to take place in Kuwait from Saturday to January 3. The only goal in the match was netted by Ali al Busaidy in the 68th minute from a free kick.
Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber began the match with a starting line-up that comprised of Fayez al Rushaidi as goalkeeper besides Ahmed al Kaabi, Mulhem al Sunaidy, Mohammed al Musallami, Harib al Saadi, Hussain al Shahri, Zahir al Aghbari, Abdullah Fawaz, Thani al Rushaidi, Issam al Subhi and Ahed al Musheikhi.
The warm-up game was the final test for the Red Warriors ahead of their assignment in the Gulf Cup where the coaching staff fine-tune their squad and finalise their tactical setup before the Gulf Cup. The coaching staff made multiple substitutions during the game to evaluate player readiness bringing on Ibrahim al Mukhaini, Ali al Busaidy, Al Munthir al Alawi, Abdulsalam al Shukaili, Khalid al Buraiki, Amjad al Harthy and Ghanim al Habshi.
Oman began the first half with a controlled performance as the first significant opportunity came in the 10th minute when Hussain al Shahri delivered a cross to Issam al Subhi whose attempt was blocked by Yemen’s goalkeeper Mohammed Adnan. Oman continued to dominate possession and in the 20th minute, Issam al Subhi broke through the defence and set up Mulham al Sunaidy but his shot was comfortably saved. Oman’s closest chance in the first half came just before the break when Harib al Saadi struck a direct free kick that hit the right post.
In the second half, Yemen responded strongly with a powerful strike from Abdulwasea al Matari in the 58th minute but Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini made a crucial save. Ten minutes later, Ali al Busaidy broke the deadlock with a well-placed free kick into the net, giving Oman the lead. Despite attempts from both sides to score neither team could find the target again and Oman held on to secure the 1-0 victory. On the other hand, Oman team will depart for Kuwait on Wednesday with the delegation to be headed by OFA Vice-Chairman Mohsin al Masroori. Oman have been drawn into Group A alongside hosts Kuwait, Qatar and UAE. Group B comprised defending champions Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. The Red Warriors will begin their campaign against Kuwait on December 21 followed by matches against Qatar on December 24 and the UAE on December 27.
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