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The India U-23 football team defeated a much-fancied Oman U-23 football team 2-1 in the opening group game of the AFC U-23 Championship 2022 Qualifiers at the Fujairah Stadium in Dubai.
India U-23 football team went 2-0 ahead before half-time
The India U-23 football team started the game on a positive note and put in crosses from both wings into the Oman box. Vikram Pratap Singh received one such ball inside the Oman box and was brought down with a challenge from Oman in the fifth minute, thus winning a penalty for India. Rahim Ali stepped up to take the spot-kick and slid it into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0 for India after just six minutes of play.
Oman had constant shots on goal but failed to break the deadlock, courtesy of a brave display from the Indian backline, especially from Deepak Tangri and Dheeraj Singh.
The India U-23 football team then extended its lead to 2-0 before the half-time whistle after Rahim Ali played it down wide to Vikram Pratap Singh inside the Oman box following an Indian counter attack. Singh made no mistake and dispatched the ball past the Oman goalkeeper with a thunderous strike to extend the lead for the Blue Tigers.
The India U-23 football team grew in confidence as the Blue Tigers got their next big chance of the match in the second half. Rahul KP made a darting run and found Aniket Jadhav for a simple finish in front of goal. However, the Jamshedpur FC winger was flagged for offside and a chance to go 3-0 up went a-begging.
Oman pulled one goal back late into regulation time through substitute Waleed Sasali, who latched on to a cross from Abdullah Mohammed Al Bushi. The India U-23 football team showed some defensive jitters in the final few minutes but eventually managed to scrape through to a historic 2-1 win at the end of 90 minutes.
The India U-23 football team now tops Group E with the win and will face the United Arab Emirates on 27th October at the Fujairah Stadium. The group winners will advance to the final tournament. The second-placed teams, meanwhile, will have to depend on an overall points table to decide their fate in the qualifiers.
