Muscat, FEB 23
The Oman U-17 national football team suffered two defeats at the Hattrick U-17 international tournament against South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Oman junior team boys started their campaign in the warm-up event at Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE by a match against Saudi Arabia and ended for the latter by 2-1. Then, in the second match Oman boys delivered a 6-1 loss against South Korea.
The international preparatory event is a key part of Oman’s technical programme to gear up for the main assignment at the AFC U-17 Asian which will be scheduled in Saudi Arabia during April 3-20, 2025. Oman will conclude their participation at the Hattrick U-17 international tournament with a match against Australia on Monday.
Back to the matches of the national team boys against South Korea and Saudi Arabia, Oman head coach Anwar al Habsi played with a starting lineup that featured from Ahmed al Rawahi as a goalie beside Ibrahim al Tamimi, Sulieman al Kharousi, Al Hassan al Qasmi, Fahad al Mashaiki, Ahmed al Omrani, Firas al Saadi, Mohammed al Mashaiki, Waleed al Baradei, Talal al Rashdi and Osama al Mamari.
At South Korea game, the opponent took the lead through Son in the 30th minute by header. Ahmed al Omrani managed to equalise few minutes later. Ahead of the completion of first half, Oman's goalie Ahmed al Rawahi scored an own goal. In the following half, Korean players added four goals to end the match at 6-1.
Despite the back-to-back defeats, the tournament provided Oman’s players with valuable experience at a high technical level ahead of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup. The coaching staff, led by Al Habsi, will assess player performances before finalising the squad for the continental tournament.
Oman will vie in the AFC Asian Cup beside Iran, Tajikistan and North Korea in Group D while the hosts, Saudi Arabia, will play against Uzbekistan, Thailand and China in Group A. Asian heavyweights Japan will compete against Australia, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates in Group B, while North Korea will take on Yemen, Afghanistan and Indonesia in Group C.
The 16 qualified teams for the Asian Cup were divided into four groups, with the two top teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinal stage. The AFC U-17 Asian Cup will act as a qualifier for the Fifa U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, which will feature eight Asian teams for the first time at the newly expanded 48-team annual tournament.
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