That's it for today. Thanks for tuning in!
MATCH REPORT |
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
However, Manvir Singh's headed goal in the 55th minute helped India draw level. The Indian defence remained compact for the rest of the game as Igor Stimac's men claimed a 1-1 result.
India was on the back foot straightaway as Oman attempted attack after attack early on. A Chinglensana Singh own goal in the first half gave Oman the 1-0 advantage.
AND IT IS FULL-TIME! FINAL SCORE: INDIA 1 - 1 OMAN!!!
90' Two minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half! Oman with one final attempt to score the winner. The substitute Al Sabhi dribbles past an opposition player and takes a shot. But the ball misses the target.
87' GOOD TACKLE! Indian defender Chinglensana Singh blocks a shot from Oman's Al-Busaidi. The Blue Tigers get the ball back.
84' INDIA ATTACK! Ashique Kuruniyan gets the ball and sprints forward. He executes an one-two pass with Chhangte and gets into the box. However, Oman defender Rajab Durbein makes the crucial interception.
80' Igor Stimac had made three more changes. Mohamed Yasir, Ishan Pandita and Lallianzuala Chhangte had come in for Akash Mishra, Bipin Singh and Suresh Wangjam, respectively. On the other hand, Oman has made three substitutions so far.
78' INJURY! Oman full-back Al Harthi goes down to the ground. His teams medical staff tend to him. There is a brief pause in play.
75' CLOSE! This was another Oman chance. The Indian defenders hold their nerves and clear the ball away. A draw will be a great result for India, but Oman will be looking for a win after dominating its opponent.
71' A fight for the ball in midfield. Sandesh Jhingan and Fawaz collide. The referee awards Oman a set-piece. The Indian skipper isn't happy with the referee's decision.
68' India is putting up a tough fight in the second half. The team has created quite a few half chances apart from the goal. But Stimac's men must be cautious during the Oman counter-attacks.
64' WHAT A SAVE! Amrinder Singh pulls off a sensational save for India to keep the scoreline 1-1. Al Saadi took a free-kick for Oman and the shot was to the extreme left of Amrinder. However, he still managed to get a hand to the ball.
62' YELLOW CARD! Lalengmawia is the second Indian player to go into the referee's book tonight. He put in a late tackle on an opposition player.
60' FREE-KICK FOR INDIA! Raynier Fernandes takes this set-piece. He delivers a long pass into the box but the Oman defence clears the ball away with ease.
58' The game has got a lot more physical now. Both teams are committing lots of fouls. The referee has given several warnings. He might hand out a few cards next.
55' GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!! MANVIR SINGH SCORES THE EQUALISER!!! INDIA 1 - 1 OMAN!!!!! Bipin Singh receives the ball from the super-sub Lalengmawia on the right wing and sends a cross into the box. Manvir Singh gets to the ball and heads it into goal.
51' YELLOW CARD! India's Chinglensana Singh is the first player to be booked by the referee today. He put up a mistimed tackle on Oman forward Al Ghafri.
48' DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION FOR INDIA! India manager Igor Stimac has decided to bring on Lalengmawia and Raynier Fernandes to replace Rowllin Borges and Jeakson Singh, respectively, in the middle.
THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY!
India has a lot of work to do in the second half. Oman has completely dominated the match so far. Forty-five minutes to go. Stay tuned!
AND IT IS HALF-TIME! SCORE: OMAN 1 - 0 INDIA!!!
45' No added time in the first half. India gets a throw-in. Ashique Kuruniyan attempts a long throw but Oman immediately regains possession.
43' GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!! OMAN 1 - 0 INDIA!!! CHINGLENSANA SINGH SCORES AN OWN GOAL!!!!! Al Aghbari got the ball on the left wing and entered the box. His low cross towards the middle is saved by Amrinder. But he's not able to collect the ball cleanly as it hits Chinglensana Singh and goes past the goal line.
40' FREE-KICK FOR OMAN! Rajab Durbein goes for a long pass but the ball rolls out of play. India quickly restarts play.
37' FOUL! Indian forward Manvir Singh brings down Oman's Al-Maashani during a counter-attack. The Oman physios come into the field to treat their player.
34' CHANCE FOR INDIA! Suresh Singh Wangjam receives a pass in midfield and rushes forward with ball. He sends a through-ball towards Bipin Singh. But the Oman centre-back duo recovers the ball.
30' Oman has attempted six shots so far, with two being on target. Meanwhile, India has attempted zero shots. Oman has dominated the possession and passing stats as well.
27' PENALTY SAVE! Maqbali himself was on spot-kick duty. He took a weak shot towards Indian goalkeeper Amrinder Singh's right. The custodian made a comfortable save, and kicked the ball away.
25' PENALTY FOR OMAN! Rowllin Borges comes up with a terrible tackle on Maqbali inside the box. The referee immediately points to the spot.
22' CORNER FOR OMAN! Al Saadi will take this one. However, the Indian defence clears the danger. Al Habsi gets to the rebound but he's not able to create a clear-cut chance.
20' India is unable to attack here. Oman is all over the Blue Tigers. Fawaz with another cross forward. But his teammate is Al Aghbari is unable to reach the ball as India wins a goalkick.
17' GOOD TACKLE! Al Harthi has been toying with the Indian players on the right flank using his pace. His latest cross attempt almost reaches Oman forward Maqbali inside the box. But Ashutosh Mehta averts the danger for India with a sliding tackle.
15' WHAT A CHANCE FOR OMAN! Al-Maashani receives a good pass from Al Ghafri and takes a shot from just outside the box. The ball goes way over the crossbar. The Oman attacker should have at least hit the target here.
12' CORNER FOR INDIA! Bipin Singh sends a cross towards the near post and Sandesh Jhingan gets to it. But his shot misses the target.
9' SAVE! Al Harthi and Fawaz execute a brilliant one-two pass on the right wing and get close to the box. The former's cross into the box is on target as Amrinder Singh collects it.
6' TACKLE! Jeakson Singh comes up with a good tackle to steal possession. Oman showing its superiority straightaway. The team's passing game has been top notch.
3' Good start from Oman. The Indian defence is struggling already. Most of Oman's moves have been on the left flank in the opening minutes.
AND THE MATCH BEGINS!
The team lineups are out!
INDIA XI: Amrinder Singh (GK), Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan (C), Manvir Singh, Bipin Singh, Suresh Singh, Rowllin Borges, Jeakson Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan.
COACH: Igor Stimac.
OMAN XI: Al Rawahi (GK), Al Aghbari, Al Ghafri, Al Habsi, Al Harthi, Al Kaabi, Al-Maashani, Al Saadi, Fawaz, Maqbali, Rajab Durbein.
COACH: Branko Ivankovic.
MATCH PREVIEW:
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri will not be there to inspire but a young Indian team will seek to play fearless football against a more fancied Oman in its first international match in more than a year here on Thursday.
Chhetri is not with the team for the two international friendlies here — the second one against the UAE on Saturday — as he is recovering from COVID-19.
But the side with an average age of just over 24 is raring to go in its first international match after November 2019 and many of them have done well in the recent Indian Super League for their respective franchises.
Head coach Igor Stimac said that the youngsters will be given ample chances to prove themselves and they should play free and fearless football.
"We need to come to the pitch without any fear, we need to try to make our transitions properly, and we need to try and enjoy the possession that we have. That's what I want to ask of my players," Stimac had said ahead of the camp here.
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The absence of Chhetri, the second highest international goal-getter among active players, will be felt greatly but India did pull off a goal-less draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha without the star striker in a 2022 World Cup qualifying round match in 2019.
"It's a big miss, not having Chhetri bhai in the squad. But I'm sure the boys will take this as an opportunity and we have to play together as a team," said goalkeeper and senior player Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who has led the side on many occasions.
Fortunately for Stimac, the 27-member squad is a mixture of players who have been with the team earlier and new faces like Akash Mishra, Liston Colaco, Ishan Pandita, Bipin Singh and Lalengmawia.
The likes of Amrinder Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Rowllin Borges and Lallianzuala Chhangte have been the top Indian performers for their ISL teams and they will be propped up by experienced campaigners like Gurpreet, Sandesh Jhingan and Anirudh Thapa.
The All Indian Football Federation's move to play international friendlies against strong teams like Oman and the UAE ahead of the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying round matches in June have been hailed by Stimac and Chhetri.
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It is expected to be a tough match against Oman who have beaten India in both the legs of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in 2019.
Oman is ranked 81st in the FIFA chart while India is 104th but Stimac's men should take confidence from the fact that they were on equal terms with the Gulf side in the home leg match of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Guwahati.
In fact, India was running away with the match after Chhetri provided the lead. Oman, however, struck two late goals to win the match. The 2017 Gulf Cup winners also won the second leg in Muscat 1-0.
Oman is coming into Thursday's match after playing out a goalless draw with Jordan on Saturday. Before that, their last match was in December 2019 in the Gulf Cup where they lost to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
History also favours Oman as it has won five times in the six matches played against India in the last decade. One match ended in a draw.
India is out of reckoning for a 2022 World Cup berth but is still in contention for qualification in the 2023 Asian Cup.
The match will be broadcast on Eurosport HD in India. The Eurosport broadcast can be streamed live on Jio TV.
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