MUSCAT: Oman’s head coach Jaroslav Silhavy praised his players for the group work and top spirit they showed in the 2-0 win over the hosts Malaysia in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 tie at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night.
The second successive victory meant, Red Warriors inch closer to secure a slot in the next stage of the Fifa World Cup 2026 and to confirm their presence in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027. The win took Oman to second place in Group D by nine points behind Kyrgyzstan, who managed to defeat Chinese Taipei 5-1, to claim the group leaders with goal difference while Malaysia remained with six points in third place.
“The away match was more difficult than the home game in Muscat. The opponent delivered top efforts on their ground and worked very hard to compensate their previous loss in Oman. The national team players dominated on the pitch and we missed many scoring attempts. I am very pleased with the technical performance of the team and to see the joy of fan with the victory,” Silhavy said.
“Despite the short term, I worked hard with the coaching staff to deliver our best towards registering the positive results. It is not easy to select the starting line-up during this limited period but I worked with the team to deliver our top level. Football is a group sport and our players deliver everything,” the Czech coach added.
“It was a fantastic match and everyone enjoyed the game. I am thankful to all our lovely audience for their continuous support and this win is dedicated to them. The triumph is a result of the team work," the 62-year-old concluded.
Oman will return back to the joint qualifiers in June as they will take on Chinese Taipei in away game on June 6 before they meet each other again in Muscat on June 12. During the stoppage period of the national team, Silhavy will observe the players in the remaining rounds of the top league and the final HM Cup match between Dhofar and Al Nahda.
Oman’s goalie Ibrahim al Mukhaini thanked Oman’s media for their positive support. “The media role was very crucial during the last period. As players, we implemented the head coach instructions properly and we executed all the learned tactics at the training sessions. We promised since we were in Oman to show different style in comparison to our recent show. The ground could have created some injuries but we managed to end the match with no injuries,” he said.
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