Today … Oman is on an almost impossible mission for a Japanese computer

Sunday – January 13, 2019

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Number Number [
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Oman hopes to be surprised at Japan's expense today (Photo: Saad Al Anzi)

Dubai: Ali Al Qattan

The Omani team faces an almost impossible task when its Japanese counterpart meets Sunday in the second round of Group F matches in the first round of the 2019 Asian Football Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The match will also oppose Uzbekistan in Turkmenistan at the end of the matches.
But the level posted by the Omani and Japanese teams in the first round confirms that it is difficult to predict the outcome of the match between them at the Madinat Zayed Sports stadium in Abu Dhabi, which also applies to the 39, another match of the group against Uzbekistan in Turkmenistan at the stadium "Maktoum bin Rashid". »Youth Club in Dubai.
Despite the huge difference between the history of the two teams in the Asian Championship, where the Japanese team has won the title four times while Oman only participates in the tournament for the fourth time, we can not consider that the confrontation between them is settled tomorrow in the light of the performance of each of them in the first round of the group.
The Japanese national team (Samurai Warriors) is still ranked among the big favorites to win the Asian title with the levels still presented by the team in the tournament and the players' experience the more professional European clubs, in addition to the strength of the Japanese league in which others are active.
But the Japanese team that did not show in its first match of the current version proved to be a good candidate for the title, where it suffered against Turkmenistan, which is only for the second time, but he started first and finished the first half before the Japanese team in the second 3 – 2 despite the huge difference in experience, history and theoretical possibilities.
The Omani, who had never managed the previous three rounds, were the best of the first match but lost to Uzbekistan 1 to 2 with a goal in the final minutes of the match.
The Japanese team defeated Turkmenistan and was not "terrifying", which worried their opponents and indicated that the team had the necessary abilities to pbad the first stages of the tournament.
The Omani team has suffered bad luck sometimes against Uzbekistan and often a lack of concentration in the third of the attack and the non-exploitation of opportunities and its inability to exploit the many balls of the match in front of Uzbekistan.
The team also suffered from mid-level goalkeeper Fayez Al-Rashidi, who could not occupy former goaltender Ali Al-Habsi.
If the Omani team wants to maintain its chances of qualifying for the second round, it will at least break the tie for tomorrow's game, hoping to catch the second round (round of 16) by beating Turkmenistan in the second round. third round.
The Omani team is aware of the difficulty of the task ahead of them in Abu Dhabi, but it is certainly not impossible, especially with the high skills available to the Omani team, which has the most possession of the ball and the control of the game in the first match, but fell to Uzbekistan because of excessive respect for the rival and the mistake of the goalkeeper The Dutchman Pim Verbeek takes care of the game and guides his players optimally.
The Dutch coach should not make any significant changes to the team, but the Omani team must get rid of the inconvenience they have suffered against Uzbekistan if they want to seize the three points of the match or at least break the draw.
Meanwhile, Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu knows the difference between the Omani team and his Turkmen counterpart and the Samurai warriors seek to develop their level in the first match to qualify for the second round thanks to their second consecutive victory in the group. .
In the second match, Uzbekistan face Turkmenistan in a risky match for both teams, after being opposed to Oman, but he is aware that the victory in the first match was not as strong as after mistakes made by his opponent.
The Turkmen are also aware that they may surprise their Uzbek rivals or prepare to leave the tournament early, regardless of the outcome of their third match against Oman.

United Arab Emirates

Cup of Asia