Oman miss out against Belarus in CIS Games semis

MUSCAT, AUG 8

Oman beach soccer team suffered another defeat in the underway second CIS Games when they lost 4-0 to hosts Belarus in the semifinal clash after a tight match on Tuesday. The win saw the hosts securing slot in the final of the beach soccer competitions of the Games. The first and second halves ended at 2-0 for the hosts before ending the overall match at 4-0 to move into the final and vie for the gold medal. Oman team will meet Russia on Wednesday for the third and fourth play-off. The match will begin at 6:00 pm (Oman time).

Oman team confirmed their progressing into the semifinals after they ended the group stage as runners-up by six points. The toppers Russia finished with same points while Egypt team which owned six points as well left from the group stage with goal difference.

The national team, led by the long-serving national head coach Talib Hilal, had commenced their campaign strongly with a 13-1 victory over Uzbekistan in the opener on Saturday. Then, the national team suffered to 6-3 loss against Egypt in the following match on Sunday. In the concluding group game, Oman team players beat world champions Russia 7-4 to book spot in the semifinals.

In the semifinal, national coach Talib Hilal began the match with a similar starting line-up featured from Younis al Owaisi as the goalkeeper. Mashal al Oraimi was in the back line while Yahya al Murkhi was the man who monitored the centre. Nooh al Zadjali and Abdullah al Souti were the strikers. The head coach made several substitutions in between the sets of the match.

The opponents opened the match with more focus as they managed to score an early goal from header in the third minute. After two minutes later, the hosts goalie doubled the results as he sent a long shot to the net to make it 2-0. In the deciding set, the hosts confirmed their triumph by registering the third and fourth goals.

Oman beach soccer players took part in this friendly meet to gear up for the top assignment at the 2024 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in UAE which will take place in next February. Oman will aim for a different show in their fifth attendance at the world meet.