Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Muscat: Saud Al Farsi’s spot-kick midway through the second half earned Oman a share of the spoils as the Group A hosts were held to a 1-1 draw with Bahrain in their opening match of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers on Monday.
Neither side could break the deadlock in the opening half at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex before Busaiteen midfielder Abdulla Al Ajmi put Bahrain one up just sixty seconds after the interval.
However, the home side were handed the opportunity to get back on level terms when Japanese referee Yudai Yamamoto awarded a 77th minute penalty, which Al Farsi (pictured) gratefully accepted to ensure Oman emerged from the tie with a point.
Oman are not in action until Friday when they will face Lebanon, who are the first opponents for AFC U-22 Championship 2013 winners Iraq when they kick-off their Group A campaign on Wednesday. Bahrain play their second fixture on the same day and will be looking to pick up their first win against the Maldives, who let slip an early lead to lose 2-1 to the Lebanese in Monday’s later Group A match.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts Qatar at the AFC U-23 Championship 2016, with January’s 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio.