MUSCAT, MARCH 26
Confident Oman will hope high to go further in the knockout stage of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 after they confirmed top spot of Group D following their triumph over Bahrain by 5-1 on Tuesday in the concluding match of group stage.
With three victories against Vietnam by 7-1, Malaysia 6-3 and Bahrain 5-1, Oman's men set up a clash against the UAE in quarterfinals of the Asian event on Thursday. It is expected to be a very tough match as the UAE managed to register two wins in the group stage against Afghanistan by 7-1 and another triumph over Indonesia by 6-1. In the concluding match, they suffered a 4-3 loss against Asian heavyweights Iran to end second in Group C.
It is expected that coach Talib Hilal will focus on the style and on the same members of the team including Yahya al Murkhi, Musallam al Oraimi, Abdullah al Souti and the rest of the team squad.
Oman’s star Musallam al Oraimi affirmed to AFC website in an interview that Oman are on the right track to reclaim the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup title after the crucial win against Bahrain 5-1 in concluding group match.
“A perfect record in the group stage is confirmation that we are doing things the right way. This will push us to go as far as we can in the competition,” said Musallam.
“Our main ambition is to win the tournament, but we must first focus on the match against the UAE in the quarterfinals,” he continued.
“I expect it to be intensely competitive. The UAE are a strong team, and we have a lot of respect for their capabilities, but we are also a good side and have strengths that we can rely on to emerge victorious,” he added.
In the group stage match between Oman and Bahrain, it was strong start from both teams as they were looking for an early goal and then motivate for more goals to secure a win. After five minutes from match start, Talib Hilal's men managed to break the deadlock as Sami al Balushi sent a wonderful volley into the Bahrain net from Salim al Oraimi's throw-in.
The star of previous match Yahya al Murkhi doubled Oman's lead before the end of opening quarter as he received a lobbed pass from captain Abdullah Masoud Salim and sent the ball past the outstretched fingers of Bahrain goalkeeper Ahmed Abdulrasool.
Striker Yahya al Murkhi managed to score twice as the second period neared its end. Bahrain were dealt a further blow just before the half-hour mark when Musallam al Oraimi right-footed free-kick shot sailed past Ahmed to further extend Oman’s lead. In the dying minutes of the match, Bahrain scored a consolation goal through Husain Ali by header to make it 5-1.
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