Muscat: Oman strikers wasted series of scoring attempts in their Group D encounter against Kyrgyzstan which ended in favour for the hosts 1-0 in Bishkek on Tuesday as part of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027. This loss costed Red Warriors a lot as they lost three essential points that were enough for the team to continue in leading the group.
Malaysia are leading now after registering their second successive win in the qualifiers against Chinese Taipei 1-0 on Tuesday in an away game.
Despite the defeat, Oman will have a chance to draw level with Malaysia when the qualifiers will resume in March 2024 when Muscat will host the match between Oman and Malaysia while Kyrgyzstan will take on Chinese Taipei in an away match.
Kyrgyzstan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov scored the only goal of the game in the 49th minute to deliver a crucial first winning points to his team and revive their chances in the qualifiers after their loss in the opener against Malaysia 4-3.
The head coach of Oman team, Branko Ivankovic, congratulated Kyrgyzstan for their triumph. “Thanks to Oman team players as well for their top efforts during the match. I was expecting a tough match and we prepared accordingly,” he said during the post-match press conference.
"Wasting many opportunities cost us ending the match without achieving any desired target. Despite the loss, we are still in the beginning of the qualifiers and will prepare much better for the forthcoming matches to secure a direct slot to the next round of the qualifiers" said Ivankovic.
The Croatian said he did not make many substitutions and the players entered the game with high spirit. "The team will continue working hard and will focus on addressing the weak areas. I pledge to prepare better for the upcoming matches to get through the group," he concluded.
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