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

India beat Oman 1 (3)- 1(2) in penalties.

The Indian Football Team, under the new head coach Khalid Jamil, secured a third-place finish in the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup with a 1-1 (3-2) win over Oman in their clash on Monday (8th September, 2025). Despite going behind through Jameel Al Yahmadi’s goal in the 55th minute, substitute Udanta Singh scored an equaliser after coming on from the bench.

The game was pushed to extra time, but neither of the two teams was able to score in the period. Eventually, a penalty shoot-out was forced, where India outscored Oman, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s heroics helped the Blue Tigers claim the third-place finish in their first tournament under Khalid Jamil.

It was an eventful game for India, where they had to display their grit and resilience to come out on top. There were a few interesting lessons learnt from the game as well, as we look at the takeaways from the India vs Oman clash.

Also Read: India vs Oman Highlights: Follow CAFA Nations Cup 2025 third-place match Replay

5. Danish Farooq could be a tailor-made fit for Indian midfield under Khalid Jamil

Khalid Jamil decided to give Danish Farooq his first-ever start for India in the game, knowing that the midfielder was probably well suited to the intensity of the physical Oman side. Well, his gamble paid off spectacularly as Farooq played with utmost vigour and made the most out of the opportunity handed to him.

The Kerala Blasters midfielder was a proactive and volatile figure in the midfield, covering a lot of ground and using his own physical attributes to win duels and help his side sustain pressure. Farooq was pretty good with his passing and recovering possession, and turned out to be an asset from set-piece situations too.

It was Farooq’s clever flicked header that presented the chance for Udanta to score the equaliser in the second half. Farooq looks a perfect fit for Jamil’s system because he has the physical prowess, energy levels and resourcefulness to thrive in a midfield line that doesn’t dominate possession. He could be a valuable asset going forward for the Blue Tigers under Jamil, who already seems a big fan of the midfielder.

4. The inexperienced attacking line fails to work for India

A few changes were made to the Indian frontline by Jamil for the Oman game. Vikram Partap Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte came on to occupy the wingers’ roles, while Irfan Yadwad was able to keep his role in the no.9 role.

However, the inexperience levels among Irfan and Vikram resulted in a frustrating set of events in the frontline. The two players weren’t able to really apply themselves that well to trouble defenders and fluffed their lines when it really mattered. Both Vikram and Irfan had big chances to put India in the lead in the first half, but ended up wasting the opportunities.

Their inexperience in such clutch moments in a major international match held them back at the end, causing frustration for the Indian side. Both Irfan and Singh ended up being taken off in the second half, and Jamil now must go back to the drawing board to find his best possible attacking options for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

3. Anwar Ali establishes himself as the Indian backline’s new commander-in-chief

Anwar Ali managed to stand out as one of India’s best players in the clash against Oman, showing no signs of weariness throughout the 120 minutes. The East Bengal centre-back has managed to take control in holding together a really sturdy defensive line with Rahul Bheke since Sandesh Jhingan’s departure.

Anwar was a highly energetic and intelligent figure in the backline, using his game-reading IQ really well. He was able to time his movement perfectly to make crucial clearances and force Oman to waste a number of chances.

Ali appears to be thriving in Jamil’s system and growing in confidence with each passing game. He has almost established himself as the new commander to be responsible for maintaining a stubborn defensive shape for India. As long as Anwar’s able to produce such sturdy performances consistently, he should continue to be a vital part of Jamil’s plans.

2. Shaky full-backs cause headache for Khalid Jamil

It was clear from the get-go that the Oman team were focused on penetrating the Indian backline using the wide areas. They probably realised that with both the starting Indian defenders being inexperienced, there were enough opportunities to do so.

Hmingthanmawia and Muhammed Uvais were both stretched by the Oman forward line’s clever movement. Both players were often caught in awkward positions, allowing far too many crosses or key passes to be made from the wide areas.

The opening goal was also the result of an Oman player getting far too much room to get into the box and make the pass, while Uvais totally lost the mark of Al Yahmadi to allow him to flick in the strike.

Uvais was substituted later on, while Hminthanmawia continued to show signs of weariness by allowing chances to happen through his side. Considering how Jamil prefers a compact defensive line, he could opt to try out some more full-backs to find his best combination going forward.

1. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu re-establishes himself as India’s undisputed no.1 with excellent CAFA Nations Cup

With Vishal Kaith not even available for him, Khalid Jamil decided to turn to the experience of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to return as the India no.1.

Well, with his performances in the CAFA Nations Cup, Gurpreet has definitely proven that he’s back to his best. The Bengaluru FC goalkeeper might have kept only one clean sheet, but he produced some really impressive performances, including the one against Oman.

Sandhu has shown that he no longer has that unreliable, error-prone nature that caused him to lose his role as the India no.1. Sandhu was able to hold together a strong defensive shape, make crucial saves at regular intervals and also able to bail out his defenders from trouble time and again.

He also forced some errors in the penalty shootout against Oman, before making the crucial save that helped India earn the third-place finish in the CAFA Nations Cup.

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