What happened when Indian football team last faced Oman?

India will play against Oman in the third-place match in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

The Indian Football Team will take on Oman in their final challenge in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025. The Blue Tigers will face Oman in the third-place match. Both teams finished their group stage as the runners-up in Groups A and B, respectively.

This will be the latest chapter in the rivalry between the two countries. India and Oman have met ten times in the past. The West Asian team has had an incredible run against India with victories in six of those ten matches. The Blue Tigers have only managed to win one game, and three of those matches ended in a stalemate.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams in over a year. The last time they met in 2021, there was no winner, with the result being a 1-1 draw. In this article, we will rewind and recollect what happened when India last faced Oman.

Also Read: India up for third-place face off against Oman in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

First competitive fixture after pandemic break

The last meeting between India and Oman marked the resumption of international football for India after a break of almost two years. Team India was playing its first match since November 2019. The Blue Tigers were missing the presence of the skipper, Sunil Chhetri, as he was still recovering from COVID-19.

The first half started on an ominous note for India. There was a relentless onslaught from Oman in the first ten minutes. Igor Stimac’s team was not allowed by the opposition to settle in the match. Right from the kick off, it was only Oman dictating the game and India merely trying to survive the pressure.

Oman soon got their first breakthrough. The Indian midfielder Rowllin Borges put in a reckless tackle on the opposition skipper, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqbali, giving away a penalty. The penalty was taken by Muqbali himself, but Amrinder Singh’s crucial save denied the goal for Oman.

This penalty save brought some belief back in the Indian camp. However, Oman did not let the Indians celebrate the escape as they found the opener in the 43rd minute. It was an own goal resulting from a cross from Oman’s left wing, which was not neatly cleared by Amrinder Singh. The rebound hit Chinglensana Singh and went into the goal.

Comeback for India

Barring the penalty save from Amrinder, there was no positive for India. However, the 1-0 score line meant that Igor Stimac’s men were still in the game. A one-goal lead is never a reliable margin in football, and India proved this in the second half.

The tall Indian striker Manvir Singh did the job for India, almost against the run of play. India’s clinical conversion brought the game to parity. The Blue Tigers took a leaf from Oman’s book and similarly scored the equalizer. It was Bipin Singh’s cross from the right wing that was headed to perfection by Manvir, shocking the dominant Oman.

After the equalizer, the game opened up a bit with India having more chances. But there was no goal from either team, leading the match to a stalemate. This gritty comeback would serve as an inspiration for Khalid Jamil’s India when they take on the same opposition in the third-place match in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

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