(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Hosts Oman kicked off their campaign in the second CISM World Football Cup 2017 in style as it romped to a 5-0 win over Guinea in the tournament opener at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) on Sunday.
A brace each from Oman international Abdulaziz al Miqbali (21st and 55th minutes) and Mohammed Taqi (64th and 68th) along with a goal from national team defender Mohammed al Mussallami (59th) saw last edition's runnerup send a strong signal to other teams that it is a strong contender to lift the crown at home.
Oman now takes on strong Bahrain in its next Group A match on Wednesday.
France is the other team in the group. Prior to the match, an entertaining opening ceremony was held and the chief guest, H H Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al Said, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan, formally declared the World Cup open.
Military bands perform during the opening ceremony of the second CISM World Football Cup 2017 in Muscat on Sunday (Ahmed al Saidi/Muscat Daily)
The showpiece world event of military football is being organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) and also present at the ceremony was Colonel Abdul Hakeem al Shino of Bahrain and other top officials. In his address, Shino said, 'Oman has made history in military sports by hosting this prestigious World Cup.'
The top boss said that 'CISM aims to promote peace through sports' and hoped that the teams will have a memorable World Cup in Oman. Coached by Muhanna Said al Adawi, Oman led 1-0 at half-time but came back strongly in the second half to pump in four more goals. In fact, Oman could have made it 6-0 had Mohsin Jawhar not missed a penalty.
On Monday, three matches in the 16-team tournament will be played with Bahrain taking on France in a Group A match (kickoff time 5pm) at the SQSC. The other two matches will feature Group B teams with Algeria meeting Germany (5pm) and Iran facing North Korea (8pm).
Oman players celebrate a goal
Both the games will be played at the Seeb Sports Stadium. Group C has Ireland, Mali, Qatar and the US while Group D includes Egypt, Poland, Canada and Syria. The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals that will be played on January 24 and the semifinals will take place on January 26. The third-place playoff and the final will be held on January 28.
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