AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Rahim Ali and Vikram Pratap on target as India churn out a 2-1 win against Oman twitter facebook reddit twitter facebook reddit

The India U-23 side registered a comfortable 2-1 victory over Oman in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers on Sunday evening at the Fujairah Stadium in Fujairah. The Indian team got off to a flying start as they broke the deadlock in the sixth minute through Rahim Ali and doubled the lead in the 38th minute when Vikram Pratap Singh shot the ball home with accuracy.

Igor Stimac fielded a strong Indian side with Dheeraj Singh under the sticks. He was defended by a back four of Asish Rai, Deepak Tangri, Narender Gahlot, and Akash Misra. Rahul KP and Vikram occupied the flanks while Jekason Singh and Suresh Singh slotted in at the centre of the park. Meanwhile, Aniket Jadhav and Rahim were responsible for leading the attack.

Vikram was a constant menace on the right wing and he troubled Oman's left-back Yousuf throughout the evening. The Mumbai City FC player breezed past him and the defender had to pull him down inside the box which forced the referee to point to the spot. Rahim stepped up to shoulder the responsibility from 12 yards and he made no mistake to score past Oman's keeper.

After falling behind, Oman showed more intent to break down the resistance but India hardly offered them any space to operate. The Blue colts looked composed and were ready to hurt on the counter using the blistering pace of Rahul and Vikram on the wings.

Although Oman had more possession they hardly created any goal scoring chances and were running out of ideas once they reached the attacking third. Dheeraj had a few routine saves to make but he was hardly tested in the first half.

It was another such counter-attack that resulted in the second goal for India. Rahim did the hard work by twisting and turning to control the box and then he set the ball up on a platter for Vikram, who rippled the net with a venomous shot.

Deepak had a good outing in defence as he made some crucial interceptions and blocks in the second half. He did not take any unnecessary risk and were happy to clear his lines if he had the opportunity to do so.

In the final quarter, Oman pushed more men forward to reduce the deficit, and with just a minute from regulation time, Oman pulled back one goal. Abdullah drilled in a low cross from the right and Waleed scored from close range to give the Reds a glimmer of hope. However, India's backline did well to absorb the pressure in the dying embers of the game and walked away with the three points. Stimac's troops will return to action against UAE on Wednesday.