Guwahati: A late brace by midfielder Al Mandhar helped Oman stage a 2-1 comeback win against the Blue Tigers on Thursday at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
India kept Oman in check for most parts of the game however an insipid final 10 minutes helped Oman script a remarkable comeback to win the match 2-1.
Brandon Fernandes' clever set-piece in the 24th minute set up an unmarked Sunil Chettri inside the box whose superb finish gave India the lead. However, Al Mandhar got the better of the Indian resistance twice late in the second half to set up a win for the away side.
As the match passed the hour mark India started to move into a defensive shell as Oman attacked in numbers. Igor Stimac’s boys focused more on counter-attacks and this seemed to backfire as Oman advanced more in the Indian half to get a goal and level the proceedings.
Once they achieved that, the Indian resistance opened up which created plenty of room for the Oman players to go for a win, a feat they achieved finally in the 90th minute.
India are now set to travel to Doha to face Qatar in their next FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier on September 10. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are the other two teams that make Group E.
