India beat Oman to secure third place in CAFA Nations Cup
The Blue Tigers won 3-2 on penalties to clinch bronze medal in their debut appearance in the tournament.
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The Indian football team edged out Oman on penalties in the third-place playoff game of the CAFA Nations Cup at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan on Monday to win the bronze medal.
The match ended on a 1-1 scoreline after extra time, and the Blue Tigers emerged victorious by a 3-2 result on penalties thanks to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s heroics.
Both teams had a fair amount of chances from the offset but couldn’t find the opener. Jamil’s men got their first chance in the 15th minute from a throw-in situation, where Anwar Ali’s header from close distance fell straight at Oman keeper Al Mukhaini, who showed quick reflexes to clear the danger.
Oman continued to control the ball possession and continued to press the Blue Tigers from both flanks. India almost conceded a goal from a miscommunication in defence in the 27th minute, but Al Rawahi’s attempt was off target.
Irfan Yadwad got a golden opportunity at the stroke of halftime, but he failed to connect to a cutback from the left flank as the first half ended on level terms.
The Khalid Jamil chapter kicks off in style 🙌
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 8, 2025
A podium finish for @IndianFootball in the #CAFANationsCup on debut! 🇮🇳#INDOMA #CAFANationsCup2025 #IndianFootball #BackTheBlue #BlueTigers #KhalidJamil pic.twitter.com/xRGvAn9ySF
Jamil made an early substitution in the second half as he brought in Jithin MS in place of Vikram Partap Singh.
Oman created a few clear-cut chances in the opening phase of the second half, resulting in Jameel Al-Yahmadi finally scoring the opener in the 55th minute with a first-time shot that found the far corner.
India found the equaliser in the 80th minute thanks to Udanta Singh, who headed home a long throw-in from Rahul Bheke, which was flicked onto his path by Danish Farooq.
Despite Oman having a few chances in the dying minutes of the game, the match ended on a 1-1 scoreline after the regulation time.
Going into the extra time, Oman went down to ten men after Ali Al Busaidi was shown a red card in the 96th minute.
Nothing was separating the two teams after 120 minutes in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 third-place decider as the match went on to penalties.
Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rahul Bheke, and Jithin MS scored for the Blue Tigers from the spot kick, while Oman missed the first two penalties, and Gurpreet saved Al Yahmadi’s shot in their fifth and final penalty to win the game and secure third place for India.
With this remarkable win on penalties against Oman, the Blue Tigers began the Khalid Jamil era with a third-place finish in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.
