Oman edge past spirited Afghanistan to keep hopes alive

Afghanistan’s Farshad Noor (left) and Oman’s Abdulaziz al-Muqbali vie for the ball during the Asian qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Doha on Friday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma

Oman boosted their hopes of advancing to the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with a 2-1 win over Afghanistan in Group E at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Friday. With Qatar having sealed top spot in Group E with an unassailable 22 points, Oman’s hopes depend on them finishing as one of the best five runners-up and Branko Ivankovic’s men saw off an Afghanistan side who will now have to defeat India in their final match on Tuesday to finish third and book a spot in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023. Oman, with second place confirmed, play bottom-placed Bangladesh in their final game. Oman, who defeated Afghanistan 3-0 in their previous encounter in October 2019, enjoyed the early possession and took the lead just inside the quarter of an hour mark with Abdullah Fawaz scoring from distance off Salah al-Yahyaei’s assist. Ivanovic’s charges continued to dominate play and came close to extending their lead in the 20th minute but Afghanistan’s David Nejem was quick to block Abdul Gheilani’s effort from inside the box. Despite falling a goal behind and being restricted to counter-attacks, Afghanistan’s patience paid off handsomely four minutes later when they equalised through Omid Popalzay’s header after Nejem had done well to supply the cross from the right flank. Oman wasted a golden opportunity to restore their lead in the 33rd minute when al-Yahyaei sent a delightful pass into the path of Muhsen al-Ghassani, but the forward failed to find the target as the score remained 1-1 going into the break. Oman started the second half with renewed purpose and their dominance was rewarded in the 52nd minute when Fawaz doubled his tally when he beat Afghanistan goalkeeper Ovays Azizi from outside the box. The win takes Oman to 15 points and they will aim for another victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday to tighten their grip on one of the five places available for the best runners-up in the final round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers.  Australia march into next phase of qualifying Earlier, Australia marched into the third and final phase of Asian qualifying after a 3-0 win over Nepal saw them comfortably top Group B with a game to spare. The Socceroos, overwhelming favourites to win the group, took their tally to 21 points in an unbeaten run of seven matches, leaving Jordan and Kuwait to battle for second place. Australia became the third team to make the third round after Japan and Syria had sealed their places by topping their respective groups earlier. Mathew Leckie gave Australia a sixth-minute lead with a fine header off an Aziz Behich cross, before Croatia-born Fran Karacic struck in the 38th minute from Leckie’s pass to help Graham Arnold’s men consolidate their advantage. Considering their lack of any footballing pedigree — they are ranked 171st in the FIFA rankings compared to Australia’s 41st — Nepal acquitted themselves well with a plucky display throughout the match at the Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City. But that was the best Nepal could do as Scottish-born winger Martin Boyle’s 58th-minute strike from close range off a Jackson Irvine pass ensured the Aussies a comfortable win and a ticket to the next round. Earlier, Iran hammered Cambodia 10-0 for their fifth win in seven matches to keep their battle with Iraq going in their quest for top spot in Group C. Kaveh Rezaei scored a second-half brace in the match that saw eight other Iranians finding the net at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa. Iran’s fifth victory in seven games took their tally to 15 at the top, but less than an hour later Iraq pipped Hong Kong 1-0 to reclaim the group lead with 17 points. Mohamed Qasem scored the only goal of the match in the 13th minute for Iraq, who now face Iran on Tuesday, with the 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners only needing a draw to finish as group winners. Elsewhere, Kyrgyzstan thrashed Myanmar 8-1 to go second behind Japan in Group F while the Philippines outclassed Guam 3-0. The United Arab Emirates cruised to an emphatic 5-0 win against Indonesia in Group G. Indonesia had suffered a 4-0 loss last time out against Vietnam, while the UAE secured their second win in a row with a 3-1 scoreline against Thailand. The result leaves the UAE sitting in second place on 15 points, two behind leaders Vietnam before the duo face off next, while Indonesia’s campaign ends with a single point. Earlier, Vietnam secured a hard fought 2-1 win against Malaysia to stay top of Group G. Meanwhile, China confirmed themselves as runners-up in Group A with a 5-0 win over the Maldives in Sharjah as Li Tie’s side continue their push for one of the remaining slots in the final round of Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The win moves China PR onto 16 points from their seven games so far and their third victory in a row means they go into their final match against group winners Syria on Tuesday with significant momentum. The result also guarantees the Philippines finish third in the group. The five runners-up with the best records will join seven of the eight group winners – FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar will not feature in the final round despite finishing on top of Group E - in the next phase.