AFC U23 Championship: Oman exits with yet another loss
Date
1/16/2018 5:47:00 AM
(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Uzbekistan edged past Oman 1-0 to progress to the AFC U23 Championship China 2018 quarterfinals at the Jiangyin Sports Center Stadium on Monday.
An own goal from Thani al Rushaidi in the first half was enough to give Uzbekistan a second-place finish in Group A, while Oman exited the tournament with no wins to its name.
Qatar topped the group with a 2-1 win over China on Monday to also progress into the last-eight.
In the opening minutes, Oman - who made six changes to its starting line-up from its previous match - looked confident playing around the tight spaces, with Al Mandhar al Alawi and Marwan Auladwadi doing a great job in keeping the Uzbek backline nervous with their quick passes.
Eleven minutes in, Alawi surged down the middle but his shot was well blocked by defender Obbosjon Otakhonov.
Uzbekistan retaliated with a close attempt seven minutes later, when Azizjon Ganiev's corner-kick found Zabikhillo Urinboev in the penalty area, but with a difficult angle his header missed to the right.
In the 36th minute, a series of passes around the box led to Rustamjon Ashurmatov letting fly a left footed shot which was saved by keeper Ibrahim al Mukhaini but moments later, an own goal was conceded by Rushaidi when Oman failed to clear the ball from the box.
After the restart, Uzbekistan returned more confidently but opted to play at a slower pace as it held on for the three points.
A disappointed Oman coach Hamad al Azzani said, 'I'm sorry about the result, we're out of the tournament without any points, but I'm proud of my team. We don't deserve the losses but this is football. These boys played well and have got a good future. We've all gained experience from this tournament, not just for the players but the staff as well.'
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