Oman crash out of Asian Cup

Muscat: An insipid Oman was held to a 1-1 draw by Kyrgyz Republic in a Group F match of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 in Doha on Thursday to crash out of the competition.

With just 2 points from three matches, Oman finished third in the group behind leaders Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

Oman had earlier lost to Saudi Arabia in their opening group match 2-1 and followed it with a goalless draw against Thailand. It was a disappointing exit for Branko Ivankovic-coached Red Warriors, who showed great promise in their fight against Saudis but display against Thailand and Kyrgyz Republic dashed the dreams of the team, which had made it to the knockouts in the previous Asian Cup edition.

On Thursday,  Muhsen Al Ghassani put Oman ahead in the eighth minute of the match to raise hopes of qualification as Oman needed an outright win. However,  an 80th minute goal by Joel Kojo got the equaliser for Kyrgyz Republic to dash the hopes of Oman’s entry into knockout stage

Kyrgyz Republic finished at the bottom of the group. Both Oman and Kyrgyz Republic, with the draw, made their exit from the continental showpiece

Also in the group Saudi Arabia and Thailand shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw in their final match of Group F of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 at Education City Stadium on Thursday.
The result, coupled with Oman’s 1-1 draw against Kyrgyz Republic in the other Group F match meant the Green Falcons confirm the top spot in the group and Thailand finish second, while Oman’s two points are not enough for them to advance as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams.