Muscat: Oman futsal team secured the last available spot in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 which will be held in September this year. The national futsal team, coached by Younis al Fahdi, edged UAE 5-3 in the West Asia Play-off late on Saturday to book their berth in the top Asian Cup futsal finals.
Five teams from West Asia have qualified to the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia from Group A while Iraq and Bahrain made the finals from Group B and Oman entered through play-off.
At the Zayed Sports Complex, Oman’s Motasim al Shamsi put the national team ahead in the fourth minute and UAE could get the equaliser only after 14 minutes through Abdullah al Falasi.
Al Shamsi started strongly again in the second half as he netted the lead for Oman in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Rashid Ali equalised again for the hosts.
After the equaliser, the UAE players pressed hard for a third goal and they took the lead for the first time as Khalid al Hamadi netted the third goal in the 27th minute. Oman's Samer al Balushi restored parity soon to make it 3-3. In the dying minutes, Oman’s Zamil al Balushi was the star of the match as he stunned UAE with a brace. Zamil found the target in the 34th and 39th minutes to make Oman a 5-3 winner.
Oman had started their campaign in Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 Qualifiers with a 2-1 loss against Lebanon in the opening game on Tuesday. Then, they played out a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia in their second match before earning a 1-1 draw against Palestine in the concluding group match.
LEBANON SEAL TOP SPOT
Lebanon secured the top spot in Group A and advanced to the Asian Cup Kuwait 2022 finals with seven points. Second-placed Saudi Arabia also qualified with five points.
Lebanon played a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and the draw was enough for Lebanon to secure the top position. In Group B, Iraq and Bahrain ended their clash at a 1-1 draw and both teams moved to the finals as they shared four points at the top of the group.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
