Trailing to Kouame Kouadio’s first half own goal, UAE turned on the power in the closing minutes of the tie to turn the match around, with Marcus Meloni and Caio Lucas scoring to keep their hopes of a second FIFA World Cup Finals appearance alive.
Olaroiu admitted that Oman had made the tie at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium into a slugfest.
“The match was very difficult, and I congratulate the players for their determination and resolve to achieve victory, which is a well-deserved and fair result that placed us at the top of the group,” said the Romanian tactician, whose side only have to avoid defeat against Qatar tomorrow to book their ticket to next year’s global showpiece. “I would like to thank our fans for their great support during the match.”
Olaroiu, who took charge of UAE after leading Sharjah FC to the AFC Champions League Two 2024-25 title in May, said UAE’s performance before the break forced his hand going into the second half.
“I was forced to make a complete technical change at the beginning of the second half to change the players’ mentality and achieve victory,” said Olariu, who sent on Caio Canedo, Yahia Nader and Harib Abdalla to boost his side’s potency.
“We played a match with different personalities in the two halves but we did everything necessary to win the match. Now we have the decisive game against Qatar.”
While UAE will be bidding for a second appearance at the Finals after having made their debut in 1990, Oman’s dream for their global stage bow now depends on the Qatar-UAE result, with the second-placed team from the group advancing to a playoff against the Group B runners-up, with the winners to bid for one final chance in the FIFA Playoff Tournament.
“Our players created many opportunities but failed to capitalise on them but they deserved a better result,” said head coach Carlos Queiroz.
“Oman’s chances of qualifying remain, and our fans should be proud of the players’ efforts and high fighting spirit despite all the challenges.”
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