Thursday 16 / May / 2024
MUSCAT : The Red Warriors played their hearts out against the mighty football giants Germany before going down 1-0 in a FIFA friendly match at a packed Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Wednesday night.
Oman players, under coach Branko Ivankovic, can hold their heads high after a spirited performance against the four-time World Cup champions as they kept the visiting Germans at bay for 80 minutes of the match.
A rare and a late defensive lapse led to the only goal of the match as substitute Niclas Fullkrug beat the Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini in the 80th minute to give Hansi Flick side a victory in their final fixture ahead of their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign.
Germany play Japan in their opener on June 23 in a Group E game but coach Flick will have to iron out the team's shortcomings after a scrappy display in front of around 26,000 fans at the stadium.
Oman had their share of goal scoring chances with Mohsin al Ghassani failing to beat Germany shot stopper and captain Manuel Nueur in a one on one situation on the 71st minute, the best chance of the five Oman had.
Young Zahir al Aghbari stood out with his solo runs to threaten German defence.
Overall, it was a performance that Oman football fans will remember a lot while Germany would be happy to escape with a solitary goal win.
