Oman crushed Uzbekistan 13-1 in the first match of the beach soccer tournament at the 2nd CIS Games in Belarus. The head coach of the Oman national beach soccer team Talib Al Thanawi summed up the results of his team’s opening match in an interview with BelTA.
The match was good, we won big. The most important thing for me is that we scored three points. We have more difficult matches ahead against Egypt and Russia, so it was important to start the tournament on a victorious note. To be honest, I expected success today, but not with such a huge advantage. The higher the better, because goal difference can make a difference.
What do you think of the level of competition?
This is an important tournament for us, and we are very happy to take part in it. Teams here are top-quality. Most of the teams – five out of the eight – qualified for the next Beach Soccer World Cup. These are the national teams of Oman, Belarus, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, and the Russian team, which is the current champion, is also very powerful. Our goal at the CIS Games is at least the semi-finals.
Are you happy with the draw?
I would say the groups are balanced, with three strong teams playing in each of them. Tomorrow we will have a match against Egypt, it is a good team. We are about to watch their match against Russia to prepare for the game. Three months ago we already played against them in the Arab Cup final and Egypt won then. I think now it is time for revenge.
What are your impressions of Belarus?
Belarus is a beautiful country. We really like it here. Great weather, nice people, fantastic accommodation and organization. Before the tournament we played two matches against your team, which was important for us, because the Belarusian national team is one of the best in the world. Even though we lost both matches, but they definitely helped us to prepare.
