(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The narrow 2-3 semifinal loss to the UAE on Friday did hurt Oman coach Talib Hilal and his boys a lot. However, the experienced coach is confident that his boys will make a comeback and secure a place at this year's FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay with a win over Palestine in the third-place playoff match of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship on Sunday. The match kicks off at 2pm, Oman time.
Talib Hilal said that it will all come down to the mental preparedeness on Sunday as it is the last chance for either side to book a place for worlds. Oman suffered its first loss of the tournament on Friday and Talib said that the 'key is to recover quickly from the setback'.
In his remarks to Muscat Daily, Talib said, "It's our last chance to qualify for the World Cup. The match is all about the mental readiness and I will work on it.'
If the 44 year old Talib succeeds, it would be the third time he would lead Oman at the World Cup, having previously guided Oman in 2011 and 2015.
On the loss against the UAE, Talib said, 'My boys played three strong games against Iran, Iraq in group stages and then against Bahrain in quarterfinals. It took a toll as there was less of recovery time (one day) between the quarterfinal and semifinal. I hope we can win the next match against Palestine and qualify for the World Cup."
Palestine suffered a 0-6 rout to Japan in the other semifinal on Friday. On Sunday, UAE takes on Japan in the final.
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