Romanian coach Cosmin Olariu expressed pride in the fighting spirit shown by our national team players and their 2-1 victory over Oman in Group 1 of the Asian World Cup 2026 qualifying playoffs, confirming that the “White” team faced Oman with two different personalities throughout the two halves.

Despite falling behind due to an own goal by Kwame Quadio in the first half, the “White” managed to turn the result around in the final minutes thanks to goals from Marcos Meloni and Caio Lucas, keeping their hopes alive to reach the World Cup finals for the second time in history.

After the match held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar’s capital, Cosmin said the Omani team made the encounter very difficult, adding: “The match was very tough, and I congratulate the players for their determination and perseverance in achieving the victory, which was a deserved and fair win that put us at the top of the group.”

The UAE now only needs to avoid defeat against Qatar on Tuesday to secure qualification for next year’s World Cup finals. He added: “I want to thank our fans for their great support throughout the match.”

Cosmin took charge of the UAE national team in May 2025 after leading Sharjah Club to the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League title. He explained that his team’s performance before halftime forced him to make decisive changes between the halves, stating: “I had to make a comprehensive tactical change at the start of the second half to change the players’ mentality and achieve victory.”

Cosmin introduced Caio Canedo, Yahya Nader, and Harib Abdullah to strengthen the UAE’s attacking and midfield lines in the second half, adding: “We played two halves with different personalities, but we did everything necessary to win the match. Now we face a decisive match against Qatar.”

Meanwhile, Oman’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time are now linked to the result of the Qatar-UAE match, with the second-placed team in the group advancing to a playoff against the runner-up of Group 2, with the winner getting a final chance through the global playoffs.

Oman coach, Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, said: “Our players created many chances but failed to capitalize on them. Nevertheless, they deserved a better result. Our chances of qualifying are still alive, and our fans should be proud of the great effort and high fighting spirit shown by the players despite all challenges. I hope the UAE achieves a big win over Qatar so we can keep our chance to compete for the playoff spot.”