Oman boys eye to revive hopes in WAFF tourney

MUSCAT, DEC 14

The Oman national football under-15 team will vie for their last chance and to keep hopes alive when they face Iraq team in their concluding Group A match of the Under-15 West Asian Football Championship on Friday. The match will kick off at 20:00 (Oman Time) at Al Saada Sports Complex. In another match, group toppers Yemen will meet Lebanon on Friday and the match will start at 5:00 pm.

The match is very crucial for both teams including Oman and Iraq as they suffered one defeat against Yemen in the group stage. Oman boys tasted their first defeat in the tournament after a 1-0 loss against Yemen in the second round of the group matches on Wednesday. The only goal in the game was scored by Abdul Rahman Abdul Nabi.

The triumph meant, Yemeni boys confirmed their spot in the semifinals as the first team progressed to this round from two victories against Iraq in the opener and then the hosts Oman. The second direct ticket from Group A will be decided between the Oman and Iraq teams while Lebanon are at last in the group without any chance to advance.

Oman’s quest to win the second straight victory was derailed by an inspired Yemeni players. Junior Red Warriors worked hard to snatch a draw at least after the goal scored by Yemen’s Abdul Rahman Abdul Nabi in the 29th minute but their scoring attempts failed to covert into goals. It is expected that Oman head coach Anwar al Habsi will work hard to rebuild and fix some of the weaknesses ahead of the crucial game against Iraq on Friday. The winner of Arab School title will eye to reach the final rounds in the tournament.

Oman boys began their campaign strongly with a 1-0 win against Lebanon in the opener before suffering to a 1-0 defeat against Yemen.

In the other group, Saudi Arabia are topping the group after their crucial 2-0 win over Syria in the opening round while UAE outplayed Jordan 1-0 in the other match. On Thursday, toppers Saudi Arabia took on Jordan while Syria played against UAE at Al Saada Sports Complex.