Oman U20 end camp with 2-1 defeat to Al Shabab

MUSCAT: Oman’s national under-20 football team concluded their latest domestic training camp with a 2-1 friendly defeat against Al Shabab Club as preparations continue for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers in Doha.
The match provided another opportunity for head coach Hamad al Azzani and his technical staff to assess the players’ technical and physical readiness, provide them with further competitive minutes and test different tactical approaches before the final stages of the team’s preparations.
The Al Shabab encounter was Oman’s latest friendly against a local club, following a 2-1 defeat to Bahla Club. The young national team also played two international friendlies against Bahrain during the latter’s training camp in Muscat, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws.
Oman will now move into the next phase of their preparations with another domestic camp in Al Buraimi from August 6 to 17. The programme will include two friendly matches against Syria on August 13 and 16.
The two matches are expected to provide a strong test for the players and allow the coaching staff to evaluate their ability to implement the tactical and technical work carried out during training.
The technical staff will also look to improve coordination between the different departments of the team, address the shortcomings identified in recent matches and raise the overall level of readiness before finalising the squad for the continental qualifiers.
Oman U20 have completed seven training camps since beginning their preparation programme in April. During that period, the coaching staff assessed nearly 80 players from different domestic clubs before settling on the current squad.
Across their previous six camps, Oman played six international friendly matches against Egypt, Iraq and Bahrain, in addition to several warm-up matches against local clubs.
The current 26-player squad comprises Ibrahim al Tamimi, Yazan al Khaldi, Al Waleed al Rashdi, Ali al Alawi, Abdullah al Saadi, Ibrahim al Shamsi, Al Hassan al Qasimi, Fahad Bait Rabia, Ahmed al Amrani, Abdulrahman al Busaidy, Issam al Mukhaini, Al Mutasim al Maqbali and Mudathir al Batrani.
The remaining players are Ahmed al Fahdi, Abdulmunim al Habsi, Khalil Arafah, Ziyad al Faraji, Abdullah al Oraimi, Akram Ramadhan, Mohammed al Sameen, Muzn al Hinai, Abdulaziz al Manwari, Fahad al Mashaikhi, Sulaiman al Kharousi, Ahmed al Rawahi and Hassan al Hinai.
Oman are preparing for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, where they have been drawn in Group E alongside hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, China.
The group matches will be staged in Doha in September. Oman will open their campaign against Qatar on August 31 before facing Saudi Arabia on September 3. They will conclude their qualifying fixtures against Hong Kong, China on September 6.
The upcoming Al Buraimi camp and the two matches against Syria will represent an important part of Oman’s final preparations as the coaching staff seek to correct mistakes, build on the positive aspects of the team’s recent performances and ensure the players reach the required level of readiness for the Asian challenge.