MUSCAT, MARCH 29
The Oman Olympic (under-23) team concluded their participation at the International U23 Friendly Championship in Doha city with a 1-0 defeat against Iraq late on Tuesday at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
The only goal in the match was scored by Iraq’s Hussain Abdulla in the 76th minute. With the victory, Iraq team ended its campaign in fifth place while Oman team was positioned in sixth place.
South Korea were crowned as champions of the tournament after blanking UAE 3-0 in the final game while UAE finished as runners-up. Kuwait claimed third place as they beat Thailand 1-0. The Oman boys suffered a 3-0 loss against eventual champions South Korea in the opening match while they edged Kyrgyzstan team 2-0 in the second round match. Both goals of the ‘Red Warriors’ were netted by substitute Nibras al Maashari in the dying minutes.
Taking part in the six-day international friendly tournament was a vital station of Oman Olympic team’s preparation for the West Asian Championship which will be held in Iraq in coming June and besides attending in the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers which will take place in September. The U23 Asian Cup finals, which will be held in Doha, will act as qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Moreover, the national Olympic team boys will take part in the Asian Games in China from September 23 to October 8.
Oman Olympic head coach, Akram Habreesh, said in previous comments to the media that the team’s presence in the International U23 Friendly Championship in Doha served the team to play against different footballing styles. “The tournament was a good event for the players to attend several matches and enhance their technical skills and performance ahead of the forthcoming assignments.”
He affirmed that this event was crucial as some top players in the Olympic team will join the national senior team. “According to Oman Football Association (OFA), these events were a good opportunity to evaluate the players’ performance and enter the players to the actual technical competitions ahead of advancing the top players to the national senior team. The event acted as a significant step to shape the players’ readiness by providing them an opportunity to play against tough teams,” he concluded.
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