Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Terengganu: Oman head coach Talib Al Thanawi believes the reigning AFC Beach Soccer Championship champions cannot afford to rest on their laurels as they look to defend their title in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
The Omanis, who sealed their first AFC Beach Soccer Championship title in 2015, are set to start their Group B campaign against Thailand on Monday.
Oman have been been steadily improving their performances over the years - they were in third place in 2009, finished runners-up in 2011 and went on to win the silverware two years ago.
But head coach Talib Al Thanawi, despite the obvious upward trajectory, is more than aware of the challenges that await his side.
“We have played friendlies against Bahrain, the UAE and Switzerland, so we are prepared,” said Al Thanawi during the group’s pre-match press conference on Sunday. “Although we are the current champions, defending our title will not be easy as teams have improved a lot. For example, Afghanistan (in Group A) finished fourth in the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam last year.
“And then there's Japan (in Group C), now ranked eighth in the world, which I think is one of the best teams in the world. The teams in our group are also strong so we can't rest on our laurels in our games.
“We have to work even harder than before because being champions is not easy. We need to reach our target to stay on top and treat all the teams as strong contenders.”
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Lebanon have only been involved in two AFC Beach Soccer Championships, having debuted in 2013 and then finishing fourth two years later.
With their opening game against Thailand slated for Tuesday, head coach Alex Braga of Brazil believes reigning champions Oman are the team to beat in Group B.
“It’s a difficult group as Oman are the champions and Thailand are a team to reckon with,” he said. “It will be difficult to contest against the Omanis and Thailand have a very good coach. But we’ll do our best to survive this group and make it to the semi-finals.”
Thailand are making their third AFC Beach Soccer Championship appearance. The Thais, who will face Lebanon in the Group Stage for a third consecutive campaign, are determined to improve their performances in Malaysia after finishing bottom of their group in both of their previous outings.
“Lebanon and Oman are the toughest sides in Asia,” head coach Abolfazl Khodabandehloo said.
“Lebanon have improved and Oman can easily give a strong fight against any strong European team. We are proud to be playing against them and we will give our all to beat them and qualify for the next stage.”
Photo: AFC