Oman ended their AFC Under-20 Asian Cup 2023 campaign with a goalless draw with Jordan in the last Group C match in Uzbekistan on Wednesday.
Jordan qualified to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group C with four points ahead of Tajikistan, who left the tournament on a goal difference.
South Korea, who already reached the quarterfinals, came top of Group C with seven points with a 0-0 draw with Tajikistan. Oman finished last in the group with one point.
In the Oman-Jordan match, both teams rushed from the start towards the offensive positions, and each clung to the hope of qualifying by searching for victory.
The advantage was relatively in favour of Jordan, who tried to build coordinated attacks through Omar Salah, Abu Hazeem, and Abu Taha, but the lack of focus in the final touches prevented a goal from being scored.
On the other hand, Oman worked to absorb the momentum of their opponents and then rely on counter-attacks, as Sultan al Marzouqi, Ali al Balushi, and Khaled Salimi emerged from it, but the lack of players in the front areas made the team lose the advantage.
After that Jordan wasted several opportunities, most notably when Abu Taha prepared a typical ball inside the penalty area, to be hit by Sultan al Shayyab next to the left post of Mazen Saleh, Oman goalkeeper.
The overall performance of the two teams did not improve in the second half, as collective offensive moves remained absent from them.
Jordan maintained their relative advantage and Omar Salah tried to penetrate Oman's defence and hit a powerful ball, but it went wide off the goal.
For Jordan, Muhannad Abu Taha made some solo moves but could not penetrate Oman defence.
In turn, Oman tended to calm down and defended well without any dangerous attempts on Jordan to end the match in a goalless draw.
In the quarterfinals, South Korea will meet the second-placed team in Group D, while Jordan will face the leaders of Group D.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
