Oman defeated Afghanistan 2-1 in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 match at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on Friday.

Oman, with second place confirmed, play bottom-placed Bangladesh in their final game.

In this match, Oman took the lead just inside the quarter of an hour mark with Abdullah Fawaz scoring from distance off Salah Al Yahyaei’s assist.

Oman continued to dominate play and came close to extending their lead in the 20th minute, but Afghanistan’s David Nejem was quick to block Abdul Gheilani’s effort from inside the box.

Despite fall a goal behind, Afghanistan succeeded to equalize the match four minutes after Oman’s goal when Omid Popalzay scored the only goal for his team. 

In the 33rd minute, Oman wasted a golden opportunity to restore their lead when Al Yahyaei sent a delightful pass into the path of Muhsen Al Ghassani, but the forward failed to find the target as the score remained 1-1 going into the break.

The second half was started with a better pace by Oman as they scored their second goal in the 52nd minute by Fawaz.

Oman wins 15 points by leading against Afghanistan. They will aim for another victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday to tighten their grip on one of the five places available for the best runners-up in the final round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers. Afghanistan will face India in Group E on Tuesday.