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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Essam brace powers Oman against Lebanon

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MUSCAT, MARCH 28


Oman national team striker Essam al Subhi netted the winning goals as Oman blanked Lebanon 2-0 in an international friendly game on Monday at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.


Al Suwaiq forward Essam put Oman ahead in the 27th minute after heading in a perfect cross from Ahmed al Kaabi.


In the second half, Essam doubled the result as Zaher al Aghbari sent a ground pass to him and then he entered inside the box before nestling the ball into the back of the net with 10 minutes to go in the match.


With the energetic win, Oman team gained some extra points for Fifa world ranking which will publish their new ranking by April. Currently Oman are placed in 75th position with 1321.24 points.


The completion of preparatory match meant, Oman team concluded their domestic training camp on a successful note. The nine days gathering was part of the team’s preparations for the forthcoming assignments including the top participation at the AFC Asian Cup championship in Qatar which is scheduled to take place during January 12, 2024 until February 10, 2024 and AFC Asian qualifiers for 2026 Fifa World Cup.


The AFC Asian Cup’s draw will take place on May 11. Oman are placed in the second ranking of the draw. Asian favourites Japan followed by Iran, South Korea, Australia and Saudi Arabia are positioned in the first ranking.


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PLAYERS TESTED


During the warm-up encounter against Lebanon, Oman head coach Branko Ivankovic made several changes in the game by bringing in Arshad al Alawi, Al Munthir al Alawi, Juma al Habsi, Khalid al Buraiki, Musab al Maamari and Abdulrahman al Mushaifri.


The Croatian coach preferred to begin the game with Ibrahim al Mukhaini as the goalkeeper while defenders were Ahmed al Khamisi, Fahmi Dorbeen, Ahmed al Kaabi and Jameel al Yahmadi. Midfield maestro Harib al Saadi monitored the centre besides Abdullah Fawaz, Salah al Yahyaei and Zaher al Aghbari. The duo of strikers — Essam al Subhi and Omar al Malki — took the attacking responsibilities in a 4-4-2 format employed by Ivankovic.


The Red Warriors were the active side throughout the friendly game as they dominated the match and missed several attempts apart from the two goals. The preparatory match was the first presence of the team after their participation in the latest Gulf Cup in Basra, Iraq, where Oman team ended as runners-up.


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