India reached the playoffs of the Cafa Nations Cup, but this achievement should not mask the side's attacking woes as they look for a much-improved outing upfront against Oman in the third-place match in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Monday.
Both Oman and India finished second in their respective groups to set up the third-fourth place match. Uzbekistan and Iran will play in the final in Tashkent, also on Monday, after topping Group A and B, respectively.
The eight-team tournament is being co-hosted by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with the group matches being played in Tashkent and Hisor respectively.
Ranked 54 places above India (133rd), Oman will start as favourites at the Hisor Central Stadium, though Khalid Jamil's team may have the advantage of having played three earlier matches at the same venue.
Placed in Group B, India had beaten co-hosts Tajikistan 2-1, before losing 0-3 to formidable Iran and drawing 0-0 against Afghanistan, a result which exposed the team's inability to put the ball in the net, despite getting chances to score.
Oman, ranked 79th in the world, played all three Group A matches in Tashkent. They drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan, who have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, beat Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan by identical margins of 2-1 each.
The West Asian side has come with a new coach in Carlos Queiroz, who is a familiar face in Asia, having managed the national teams of Iran, UAE, and Qatar in the past. The much-travelled Queiroz also coached Spanish top club Real Madrid and the national teams of Portugal, Egypt and South Africa.
India head coach Khalid Jamil said his team had come with a purpose and not just to participate in the tournament.
"All our players are fine, and are all positive after these results. We must continue this positivity into the next game. I have a good feeling that we could get a positive result," Khalid said at the pre-match news conference.
"We felt from the very start that we could do something good, and I must say that hard work of the players has brought us to the playoff stage.
"Oman are a very good team, but we are ready for it," he said.
