Agency :
China was held 1-1 by Oman in a Group B clash in the final round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier on Thursday.
“We should have won the game,” Chinese head coach Li tie told the post-match press conference.
Li’s team was dominant for most of the game, but Oman’s 75th-minute equalizer almost crushed Team China’s dream of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
“We played the game well with strong determination to win, this is a very disappointing result for our team,” Li added.
China was fifth in the six-team group with three points from four games ahead of the match, while Oman stood third with six points. For the Chinese players, it was a game they could not afford to lose or there would only be theoretical possibility for them to make it to Qatar 2022.
Star striker Wu Lei opened the scoring for China 21 minutes into play when he slotted home a pass from Zhu Chenjie. Luo Guofu came close to doubling China’s lead five minutes later, but his header was denied by Oman keeper Faiyz Al-Rusheidi.
After the restart, Oman piled the pressure on Li Tie’s team while Wu Lei had an opportunity to score a brace in the 70th minute, but his close-range free header sailed narrowly off the post.
Only five minutes later, the Chinese team was punished when Amjad Al-Harthi rose high to head home a corner kick by Mohsin Johar, who was brought in just 10 minutes earlier.
