AFC Asian Qualifiers: Oman, Qatar Share Spoils in Goalless Encounter
Doha: Oman’s national football team tied 0-0 with its Qatari counterpart in the first round of the fourth stage of the Asian play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, in a match held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Oman national team will meet the UAE national team in the second round on Saturday, October 11, at 9:15 PM Oman time. The first half of the match witnessed a strong start from the Qatari team, who tried to impose their control from the first minutes by advancing, especially from the left side, through their player Akram Afif.
Meanwhile, Oman team relied on counterattacks, long balls, and exploiting the spaces at the back, through their player Issam Al-Subhi. The national team’s defense successfully organized itself and kept the immediate threat at bay.
The 25th minute saw a forced substitution for our team, with Jameel Al-Yahmadi leaving the field injured and Nasser Al-Rawahy replacing him. Then our national team began to enter the match atmosphere in a better way, and the first real chances came through Issam Al-Subhi, who shot a powerful ball that was blocked by the Qatari goalkeeper, Mahmoud Abondi, in the 27th minute.
Ali Al-Busaidi also tried to penetrate the Qatari defense from the left side, while Nasser Al-Rawahi’s header from a corner kick in the 44th minute almost gave our team the lead. The second half began with a dangerous attempt by the Qatari team through Akram Afif, who dribbled past our defense and fired a low shot that went close to the post. After that, play was confined to the midfield for a while without clear chances.
In the 77th minute, coach Carlos Queiroz made attacking substitutions, bringing on Mohsen Al-Ghassani and Salah Al-Yahyaei and replacing Abdulrahman Al-Mushairi and Essam Al-Subhi in an attempt to increase the team’s offensive effectiveness.
In the final minutes, our national team retreated to defend under increasing Qatari pressure, but goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini excelled in repelling several dangerous attempts until the Japanese referee blew the final whistle.
Oman national team entered the match with a lineup that included Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini in goal, Thani Al-Rashidi, Khaled Al-Buraiki, Amjad Al-Harthi and Ali Al-Busaidi in defence, Ghanem Al-Habshi, Arshad Al-Alawi, Abdullah Fawaz, Abdulrahman Al-Mushairi and Jameel Al-Yahmadi in midfield, and Issam Al-Subhi in attack. The match was officiated by a Japanese refereeing crew led by international referee Yusuke Araki, assisted by Jun Mihara, Kota Watanabe, and Ryo Tanimoto as fourth officials, while Jambul Iida and Hiroki Kasahara were in charge of VAR.
