Ivory Coast beat Oman ahead of Arab Cup playoff

MUSCAT, NOV 19

Oman national football team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) on Tuesday night at the Seeb Stadium. This was the second friendly match as the opening match ended with a 2-0 victory for Red Warriors against Sudan.

With the completion of two preparatory matches, the Red Warriors will take off to Doha city as they will gear up to face Somalia on Wednesday in a playoff match to secure a slot in the Fifa Arab Cup 2025 which will be staged in Qatar during December 1 to 18.

In the match against African opponents ranked 42nd in the latest Fifa World ranking, Oman received two goals in the opening half as Vakoun Issouf Bayo opened the scoring for his team in the ninth minute while Jean-Philippe Krasso doubled the lead in the 25th minute.

Despite the early setback, Oman fought to regain structure and rhythm and the closest chance of the first half came shortly before the break when Jameel al Yahmadi powered forward on a swift counter-attack and unleashed a dangerous strike that narrowly missed the far post.

During the break, coach Carlos Queiroz instructed the players with a new tactical plan. Red Warriors showed their efforts to reduce the goal difference in the second half. Oman players maintained possession more effectively while preventing Ivory Coast from creating additional clear chances. Despite several scoring attempts, the Red Warriors were unable to find a breakthrough before the final whistle.

Queiroz introduced several tactical adjustments in the match besides many substitutions as he introduced Mohammed al Ghafri, Al Mundher al Alawi, Zaher al Aghbari, Musab al Shaqsi and Said al Alawi to increase attacking mobility and create more control in the midfield. Musab al Mamari was close to score the first goal but his attempt was saved by Ivory Coast's goalkeeper.

Oman started with a line-up comprising Ibrahim al Mukhaini as the goalkeeper while Ghanim al Habshi, Thani al Rushedi, Ahmed al Khamisi, Yousuf al Malki and Mahmood al Mushaifri monitored the defence. The middle area was monitored by maestro Harib al Saadi alongside Musab al Maamari, Jameel al Yahmadi and Nasser al Rawahi while Issam al Subhi was the lone forward.

Despite the defeat, the coaching staff gained a valuable testing phase in the ongoing camp as they will design to refine tactical approaches and elevate competitive readiness ahead of the decisive qualifier.