India vs Oman Player Ratings: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Danish impress; while Mahesh, Irfan disappoint

India defeated Oman in penalties to secure third spot in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

Under new head coach Khalid Jamil, the Indian Football Team clinched third place in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 with a 1 (3) -1 (2) penalty shootout win over Oman on Monday, September 8. After Jameel Al Yahmadi put Oman ahead in the 55th minute, substitute Udanta Singh came off the bench to net the equaliser in the 81st minute to push the match to extra time.Extra time saw Omani captain Busaidi getting sent off following a rash foul on Danish Farooq. However, the Blue Tigers were unable to break past the resilient opponent’s defensive setup despite the numerical advantage, leading to penalties.

CAPTAIN Gurpreet Singh Sandhu turns up for India!India beat Oman in penalties to finish in the third spot at the CAFA Nations Cup 2025! #IndianFootball #IndianFootballTeam #BlueTigers pic.twitter.com/n703W3f4Rq

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 8, 2025

In the penalties, Chhangte, Rahul Bheke and Jithin MS found the back of the net for India and Gurpreet saved Oman’s final penalty shot to create history for India that would be written in letters of Gold and remembered for generations ahead.

Also Read: India vs Oman: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s heroics, toothless attack and other talking points

Here are the India Player Ratings vs Oman

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 9

Gurpreet made some solid claims and good distributions during the attacking initiatives of Oman throughout the match. Came off his line and made some excellent clearances to keep the potential threats away. The keeper had the presence of mind and held hands to almost all the attempts of Oman to breach the Indian goal.

Did not have much to do during the first two penalty kicks as the opponents did not manage to put the shot on target. Though he was beaten in the third and fourth penalty, he dived to the right and saved the fifth penalty to seal the third spot for the Blue Tigers in the CAFA Nations cup.

Muhammed Uvais – 7

Tracked back well and defended the ball well whenever Busaidi and Fawas tried to craft play from the flanks. Took two beautiful long throw-ins which nearly opened the accounts for the Blue Tigers. Shadowed Busaidi and Rawahi whenever they switched positions and attacked from the wings. One major problem for the player was that he was unable to make overlap runs. However, was good physically and played decent throughout the minutes played.

Anwar Ali – 8

Read the ball very well, made some good distributions and cleared the ball properly to resist the opponents from progressing further inside the Indian defensive third. Anwar was never afraid to attack and stood like a tall man during the set-pieces to constantly challenge the keeper with his headed shots and remain a potent threat for Al-Ahmar’s.

Later, in the extra time, Anwar Ali won space and took some powerful shots on target to challenge the 10-man Oman and had a really impressive performance. Unfortunately missed the third penalty. Apart from this blackmark, the player displayed commendable performance throughout the match and the tournament.

Rahul Bheke – 8

Bheke, in the absence of Jhingan, maintained discipline and created a compact defensive shape to trap the opponents offside during their attacks. Rahul was beaten by Al-Rawahi with his pace in the second quarter of the game, which almost marked the opener for Oman. The centre back was a bit unstable in his position in the initial minutes, but later caught up.

When Uvais was benched, Rahul took the throw-ins, and one such throw paved the way for India’s equaliser. During the penalties, Bheke sent the keeper the wrong way and scored the second goal, sending the ball to the bottom corner.

Valpuia – 7

Overlapped Al Ali-Busaidi efficiently in the right wing and made some crucial blocks whenever the opponent tried to penetrate into the penalty box from the flanks. Could have done better to stop the first goal. Used his body well and did very well to win duels and make interceptions throughout the match. Played the entire minutes and displayed good level of fitness.

Vikram Partap Singh – 8.5

Carried the ball well and made some accelerated runs on the left flank to initiate the early attacks of India. Was having a good share in winning duels and making interceptions throughout the first half. Was booked under the referee for a rash foul in the 40th minute and surprisingly, was subbed off by Khalid Jamil just after the break, probably as a precautionary measure.

Danish Farooq – 8.5

Danish had a shaky first half as he was perpetually conceding fouls in the midfield and gifting the ball cheaply to the opponents, which caused some trouble for the Blue Tigers. Lacked decision-making and did not make timely clearances, laying the foundation for Oman scoring their opener.

Later, India saw a completely different Danish, as the midfielder was desperate to compensate his error. In the 80th minute, Danish was present in the right place to loft the ball towards Udanta, who equalised the score. A foul on Danish by Busaidi led to the opponent being booked for a red card and sent off. Read the game, sensed the danger, and even took a yellow card for the team.

Mahesh Singh Naorem – 6

Mahesh and Irfan coordinated the press and made some superior off-the-ball presses to regain possession from the midfield. Started on a back foot as he was not having the best hour on the pitch during the first half, as most of his passes looked wasteful and late. Could have done better, and for this reason, he was subbed off by the gaffer in the second half.

Nikhil Prabhu – 7

Nikil Prabhu had a decent performance in the midfield and did well in dispossessing the Omani players and regaining possession for India. Made some switchovers and was also successful in winning duels during multiple instances. Was good during tackles and did reasonably well. However, his contribution remained relatively minimal as he was physically exhausted and was subbed off in the second half.

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 8

Chhangte looked good for India with some quick runs and passes. Had the pace and linked up well to create some good combination plays in the offensive end. Made some good on and off the ball movements and provided some teasing crosses into the 18-yard box.

Played his heart out and put in an immense workload for the Blue Tigers, crafting play without losing fitness even during extra time. Scored the penalty in the top right corner under pressure, putting a closure to an overall performance.

Irfan Yadwad – 5

Irfan was very lively in the match, consistently pressing the Omani keeper and the backline to pile pressure upon them. Went for the first ball, won free kicks in some dangerous positions, and played decently. Everything looked good for Irfan until it came to finishing, as he lacked intensity in the final thir,d as he missed a golden opportunity to tap in and score in the dying minutes of the first half.

Substitutes

Jithin MS – 5.5

Jithin did not look good ever since he came onto the pitch for India. Made some mistakes and even conceded a foul in a dangerous position during the extra time. Despite the bad performance, he kept calm and scored the fourth penalty.

Roshan Singh Naorem – 7

Roshan made his presence felt both in the defence, making blocks and clearances along with providing some good crosses and key passes into the final third.

Manvir Singh – 7.5

Manvir was very aggressive and was excellently pressing and making runs to force errors from the Omani backline and win corner kicks and throw ins in the offensive third. Arguably the best substitution made by Khalid Jamil in the match.

Udanta Singh – 7.5

Udanta came in as a super sub for India and clinically headed in a throw in during the 80th minute to breach the Omani net and register the equaliser. Disappointed during the penalty as he skied off the ball over the bar.

Suresh Singh Wangjam – 7

Suresh did well holding possession and providing some good balls to the final third.

Jeakson Singh N/A

Did not have much minutes on the pitch as he came only in the 115th minute.

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