MUSCAT, May 13
Oman beach soccer team made a strong start in the Arab Beach Soccer Championship 2023 as they thrashed Palestine 7-1 in the opening match at King Abdullah Sports City near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Oman’s goals were netted by Khalid al Oraimi who managed to score three goals besides Ahmed al Owaisi (2 goals), Sami al Balushi and Al Yaqdhan al Hindasi, who netted one each. The consolation goal for the opponent was scored by Mohammed Hassan.
Oman team, led by long-serving national coach Talib Hilal, dominated the match and did not face much difficulty to end the match on a triumphant note. The victory meant the Omani men confirmed their first winning points in the group. Experienced coach Talib Hilal began the match with a starting list comprised of Amjad al Hamdani as the goalkeeper, Khalid al Oraimi, captain of the team, and Munther al Oraimi focused on defence while Yahya al Murekhi and Sami al Balushi were the attackers.
Oman team will gear up for the forthcoming match against Egypt on Monday. Then, coach Talib’s men will conclude their group matches on Wednesday when they will take on Kyrgyzstan.
The chances of Oman team to advance to the next level of the championship is very high as the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals besides two more teams who are the best third placed in the three groups. The quarterfinals will take place on Thursday while the semifinals are set on Friday and the final is scheduled on Saturday.
In earlier matches, Saudi Arabia defeated Mauritania in the opener 7-3 while Morocco beat Lebanon 9-5.
The 12 teams taking part in the tournament have been distributed into three groups. Hosts Saudi Arabia led Group A alongside Mauritania, Morocco and Lebanon while Oman are grouped with Palestine, Kyrgyzstan and Egypt in Group B. The Group C featured the UAE, Libya, Kuwait and Comoros.
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