Oman look to bounce back against Russia
Muscat: The Oman beach soccer team will take on Russia in their second friendly against Russia at the sandy court of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Wednesday. The match kicks off at 9:30 pm.
Russia won the opening international friendly 6-5 on Monday night. The friendlies are among the team's programme for preparations for the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 in Pattaya, Thailand from March 20 to 30.
The match against Russia ended with many positive outcomes despite the narrow defeat. The experienced national head coach Talib Hilal implemented different technical tactics and gave chances for new faces in the game. The first period of the match ended in a goalless draw despite some active scoring attempts through Khalid al Araimi, Yahya al Murkhi, Abdullah al Souti besides others. All 11 goals were scored in the second and third periods as the opponent took advantages of Oman's shortage in the second period following Sami al Balushi's red card as the Russia went up 2-0 in the period. In the third and deciding period, the visitors extended their lead despite goals netted by Oman through Khalid al Araimi, Abdullah al Souti, Yahya al Murkhi and Abdulrahman al Fazari.
Russia beat Oman 6-5 in the first international friendly.
Oman players will look to bounce back strongly in Wednesday's game. The national team players had managed to win against Russia during CIS Games in Belarus in 2023 as Oman met Russia twice. The first match ended for Oman by 7-4 while they had suffered a 9-3 defeat in the third and fourth play-off match. Furthermore, Oman had played against Russia in 2023 in Muscat and they had received two defeats by 9-3 and 4-3.
On the other side, Oman players are raising their final preparations ahead of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025. This event is very crucial for the national team as the Asian event will act as qualifiers championship for the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup. The top three teams in Asian event will earn direct spots for the 2025 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in Seychelles in May.
The current camp in Bausher, which concludes on March 10, will feature two more preparatory games against Belarus, scheduled on March 8 and 10. Belarus confirmed their seat at the 2025 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup.
Oman and Russia players fight for the ball.
Oman will vie against Bahrain, Malaysia, and Vietnam in Group D at the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025.
Oman Squad: Khalid al Araimi, Munther al Araimi, Abdullah al Souti, Nooh al Zadjali, Mashal al Araimi, Ahmed al Owaisi, Salim al Araimi, Younis al Owaisi, Sami al Balushi, Yahya al Muraiki, Abdulrahman al Fazari, Musallam al Araimi, Majid al Affari, Yousef al Zadjali, Amjad al Hamdani and Sameer al Afari.
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