A game of missed chances

I’ve always wanted to watch the Oman soccer team playing –– live in the stadium. It didn’t happen during the recent Gulf Cup (thanks to my work schedule). Yesterday, when I got a pass for the Oman versus Indonesia AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, I jumped at it. Going by recent form, I did expect Oman to score half a dozen goals against their less fancied opponent. Half a dozen scoring chances were created during the whole match, but Oman failed to convert those easy sitters into goals. The match ended in a goalless draw.

Omani fans, in colourful paraphernalia, had come in large numbers to see their team continue its great form. Around 40% of the Bowsher stadium was occupied by fans. The atmosphere was great with sounds of drumbeat reverberating across the stadium. Indonesia too had their share of crowd support, but their team looked as if they were keen to avert a possible defeat than play some attractive soccer. Oman had 70% of the ball procession, and they fumbled time and again in the Indonesian citadel.

Ali Al-Habsi wasn’t there, so was Badr Al Maimani. Imad Al Hosni was trying very hard to regain his form. Goalkeeper Huwaidi Sulaiman was very impressive like in the previous few friendly matches. I was very impressed with Fawzi Basheer, Kanu and Rabea. They look rock solid. Post-match press conference saw Claude Le Roy not very happy the way the game was conducted by the Bangladeshi referee. “I can write a book about him,” he said in utter disappointment. The Oman coach admitted the boys were exhausted after the last game which saw more than 120 minutes of on-field action. I hope Oman will do well in qualifiers against Australia and Kuwait in the weeks to come. I feel sorry for Omani players who didn’t get enough time to relish their Gulf Cup win.