India crashed to a defeat at the hands of Oman to continue their winless run in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Muhsen Al-Ghassani proved to be the difference, as a first-half goal won his side the match in Muscat's Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Meanwhile, the defeat keeps India in fourth place, but fifth-placed Bangladesh have a game in hand. Also, Oman have cemented their second position with 12 points, behind Qatar. Here are the highlights of Oman (OMA) Vs India (IND)
Oman 1-0 India
22:24 hrs IST: FT' And that's the final whistle, as Oman register a crucial victory against India in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Muscat. Muhsen scored the solitary goal, with Oman still behind Qatar in the group, meanwhile, India continue their winless run.
22:21 hrs IST: 94:06' Oman are keeping the ball and not giving it away. India need to build up something and not just rely on scattered passes.
21:17 hrs IST: 90:06' Six minutes have been added on. Can India get a late equaliser?
22:15 hrs IST: 88:01' India just can't break past the watertight Oman defence. There has been multiple attempts but all have been steered out of danger by the hosts.
22:13 hrs IST: 85:30' CROSS COMES IN TOWARDS THE FAR POST! UNLUCKY FOR INDIA!!
Kuruniyan dashes down the left-wing and puts in a looping cross which gets sent for a corner.
22:09 hrs IST: 81:59' EXCELLENT SAVEEE!!!
Gurpreet puts in an excellent one-handed save, and denies Oman from increasing their lead. Corner to Oman.
22:06 hrs IST: 79:16' India are pressing on for an equaliser, as Oman pressed on in Guwahati. The Blue Tigers are running out of time, and really need to churn out some clinical moments.
21:58 hrs IST: 71:08' GREAT CROSS BY KURUNIYAN!! MANVIR SINGH WAS JUST INCHES AWAY!
21:55 hrs IST: 68:00' Oman are keeping the ball now. India are making some silly tackles and poor clearances which is just gifting the ball away to Oman.
21:52 hrs IST: 64:44' STRAIGHT TO GURPREET!!
Oman are committing plenty of players forwards, as a header via a corner kick gets saved by Gurpreet.
21:50 hrs IST: 63:10' GOOD SAVE BY GURPREET SINGH SANDHU AS HE PUTS IT AWAY FOR A CORNER!
21:49 hrs IST: 61:58' Anas concedes a foul, as he sends an opponent crashing onto the ground, because of an elbow. Free kick to Oman to increase their lead.
21:44 hrs IST: 57:32' India keeping Oman at bay in the second half. But the visitors lack the clinical edge, due to which they haven't been able to win games in this campaign yet.
21:38 hrs IST: 50:52' Absolute vital interception by Vinit Rai. Oman looked set for a deadly counter after Anas' bad clearance.
21:35 hrs IST: 48:08' India are keeping the ball well, with some next interchanging passes. Oman are sitting back and waiting for the counter.
21:32 hrs IST: 45:00' And we kick-off the second half in the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. India still need to score a goal to level the scoreline against Oman in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
21:19 hrs IST: 21:17 hrs IST: HT' The referee blows his whistle for halftime! Both teams walk back to their respective dressing rooms. It has been a good first half with action. Although, a goal down, India have been good and have produced some sparkling moments which show that the match is not yet over.
21:12 hrs IST: 40:41' India are attacking better than their previous two matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Udanta has been making his marauding runs, and Chhetri is also looking active around the final third.
21:08 hrs IST: 36:35' Another substitution for India. Anas replaces Adil, who is probably out due to a hamstring injury.
21:04 hrs IST: 32:20' GOALLLLL!!!
This time Muhsen doesn't make any mistake as Oman cut open the Indian defence. What a through ball, and Muhsen gives Oman the lead.
21:03 hrs IST: 31:35' Good line by the Indian defence. Oman are caught offside again!
20:58 hrs IST: 26:57' Substitution for India. Vinit Rai replaces Pronay Halder.
20:56 hrs IST: 24:22' Both teams are battling it out in the middle of the park. India are putting in tackles, meanwhile, Oman are applying continuous pressure.
20:54 hrs IST: 22:23' India are keeping the ball well. Udanta marvelously ran past defenders but his cross gets blocked.
20:52 hrs IST: 19:46' Brandon takes the freekick. It's a curling one. Chhetri tries to lay it down for Chhetri, but it gets blocked.
20:48 hrs IST: 17:08' Oman are really testing the Indian backline. Its continuous pressure, but India have defended well, but need to recycle defence to attacks too.
20:42 hrs IST: 10:43' India are sitting way to behind, so its turning into a problem, when Oman are keeping possession. They have plenty of pacy players, who can create havoc against them.
20:38 hrs IST: 06:32' AND HE MISSES IT ALL TOGETHER!!!!
Absolute disbelief and shock in Muscat as India get lucky. What was Muhsen doing, he just skied it high!
20:36 hrs IST: 05:24' PENALTY GIFTED TO OMAN!!!
Rahul Bheke cannot believe it as he falls on a Omani player in the Indian box, and the referee blows the whistle.
20:33 hrs IST: 01:40' India are keeping the ball well, but Oman are holding them strong. The Blue Tigers need to be strong with the ball, and need to fall back when Oman recycle play.
20:30 hrs IST: And we kick-off tonight's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Oman Vs India! Can Igor Stimac's side end their winless run? 90 minutes will decide that.
20:24 hrs IST: Both teams have lined up for their respective national anthems now!
20:24 hrs IST: The teams are walking into the field now. Sunil Chhetri leading India against Oman in Muscat tonight. Can the Blue Tigers notch their first win of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign?
20:18 hrs IST: India have begun their warm-up session, with Sunil Chhetri leading the line.
20:15 hrs IST: Here is Oman's starting XI:
Al Habsi, Al-Musalami, Al-Busaisi, Al-Mukhaini, Al Hidi, Al Alawi, Johar, Al-Mahaijri, Al Ghafri, Al-Saadi, Al Ghassani.
20:10 hrs IST: Brandon will have a big role to play tonight. It was his corner kick which led to India's late equaliser against Afghanistan in Dushanbe. Doungel was in the receiving end, surprising that he hasn't been included in the starting XI.
20:05 hrs IST: | STATS |
MATCHES PLAYED: 11
LOSSES: Oman 0-8 India
DRAWS: Oman 3-3 India
WINS: Oman 8-0 India
FIFA RANKINGS: Oman 84-106 India
19:54 hrs IST: Here are more photographs of the pre-match celebrations in the stadium.
19:45 hrs IST: Gurpreet is the obvious goalkeeping starter, with Stimac probably going with Ashique as a left wing back, with Farukh in the wing. Halder, Brandon will form the midfield pivot. Manvir will lead the frontline with Chhetri behind him.
19:36 hrs IST: Here is India's starting XI:
Gurpreet, Bheke, Nishu, Adil, Manvir, Brandon, Chhetri, Farukh, Udanta, Ashique, Halder.
19:27 hrs IST: Here is the Oman team arriving at the venue.
19:21 hrs IST: The AIFF has just shared pictures of the Indian team entering the stadium.
19:18 hrs IST: The biggest question is if Seiminlen Doungel will start or not against Oman. The midfielder was excellent since coming against Afghanistan and proved to be the super sub with a late equaliser.
19:14 hrs IST: Here is the full India squad:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke, Narender, Adil Khan, Sarthak Golui, Subhasish Bose, Mandar Rao Dessai, Udanta Singh, Jackichand Singh, Seiminlen Doungel, Raynier Fernandes, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul Samad, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Ashique Kuruniyan, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh, Farukh Choudhary.
19:12 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Sunil Chhetri revealed that the match is not about revenge. "We won’t think about revenge or anything closer to that, absolutely not. At the end of the day, the points matter. It’s not a derby as they are not our neighbours," he said.
19:02 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Adil Khan revealed that Oman are the favorites. "Yes, numbers say that they (Oman) are favorites but it all will start from scratch tomorrow. Their attackers can do anything on a given day and we have to be on our toes throughout," he opined.
18:49 hrs IST: Al Mandhar has scored four goals in four fixtures already in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but Pritam Kotal feels he can be dealt with. "It’s not only Al Mandhar, other attackers like Al Alwai, Al Ghassani everyone can impose equal danger to a defence line. They are quick, they switch positions fast and can score from long. We have to be extra cautious of their long-range shots," he said ahead of the match.
18:35 hrs IST: Meanwhile, ahead of the fixture, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu revealed that India can notch a positive result. "In recent years, we have grown as well. We'll have to go out with all the strength, we have and try to get a positive result," he said.
18:31 hrs IST: The Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex is filling up right now, as shown by Oman FA's Twitter handle.
18:27 hrs IST: India will once rely again heavily on Sunil Chhetri to score the goals. The lack of a proper replacement for the veteran has proved to be a huge issue for the Blue Tigers. The likes of Manvir Singh haven't been able to sparkle yet. Chhetri also scored in the first leg against Oman, which India lost 1-2.
18:20 hrs IST: Oman's Rabia Said Al-Mandhar will be the player to watch out for, after having scored a brace against India, in Guwahati. The attacker is in excellent form, and has scored against Qatar and Bangladesh too.
Possessing excellent pace, Al-Mandhar will exploit any gaps left by India's wing backs, and could score a goal too!
18:08 hrs IST: India is expected to use a 4-2-3-1 formation too, with Gurpreet as the obvious undisputed goalkeeping started. Adil will be expected to lead the backline, with Halder, Thapa and Brandon dictating play. Chhetri will lead the frontline.
18:03 hrs IST: Oman will likely use a 4-2-3-1 formation. Al-Habsi is expected to start as the custodian, with Al-Musalami and Al-Hidi playing as the two centre-backs. Meanwhile, Kano will anchor the midfield, with Al Ruzaiqi and Al-Ghassani leading the attack.
17:50 hrs IST: Ahead of the match, Igor Stimac revealed that Oman are the clear favorites to walk away with a win. "Qatar and Oman are two favorites in our group. The difference between the other three (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India) is very less. Against Afghanistan my team performed in the second half," Stimac said.
15:35 hrs IST: Igor Stimac will have a huge task in hand against Oman. The higher ranked FIFA nation has players who are quick with the ball, and are faster than the Indians. In the first leg, Oman staged a comeback in the final 10 minutes in Guwahati, to win 2-1. Sunil Chhetri had given India the lead before halftime. Here are the three players from India who will be crucial to their charge against Oman: CLICK HERE
15:22 hrs IST: Good evening everyone, and welcome to Outlook's live coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Oman Vs India. With their qualification hopes looked minute, Igor Stimac's side will need to put in their best performance against the hosts, in Muscat.
It's a grudge match of sorts for India. In their first-leg clash in Guwahati, Sunil Chhetri gave India the lead before halftime. Oman ultimately scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to secure a narrow victory.
If India loses to Oman, they only have maximum nine points left to play in this round of qualifiers. Also, runners-up from all the groups are not assured of an automatic spot in the next round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Getting a draw against Oman could have an impact as it could make it easier for India to get a third-round berth in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.
India received a boost of sorts when Anas Edathodika, who despite losing his mother, joined the team in Muscat. "We suffer from time to time when players get injured or due to other problems. He (Anas) had to leave the camp and go back before the Afghanistan game, as his mother passed away but I have players like him in our team and I'm proud of them. His return boosts the team," said India's Croatian coach Igor Stimac.
Captain tonight, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said: "We have come here to play to the best of our capabilities and make sure we stay tough as a team. Oman is a difficult team to play against. In recent years, we have grown up as well. We will have to go out with all the strength we have and try to get a positive result."
Gurpreet showed his mutual respect for Oman goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and mentioned that the former Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper is "one of the best persons" he has met.
Oman head coach Erwin Koeman warned his team that India will come with their strategies and can "make (us) pay a price".
"We know India's strengths as well as weaknesses. We don't need to focus on them. Rather, we need to work on our strengths. They are a team that can make us pay a heavy price if we don't do our work properly."
Meanwhile, seasoned midfielder Raed Ibrahim Saleh is ruled out of Tuesday’s game owing to an injury. But India have to keep an eye on Omanese striker Al Mandhar, who has already scored four goals in four matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
