Basra, Iraq – Oman head coach Jaroslav Silhavy felt his side deserved something from the match after they went down fighting to Iraq 1-0 in their opening AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Group A match at the Basra Stadium on Thursday.

Aymen Hussein scored in the first half for Iraq who play Kuwait on Tuesday, while Oman will be aiming to bounce back when they face South Korea.

Hussein broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when he rose highest to head home Ali Jasim’s corner.

Oman sprung into action in the 24th minute with Abdulrahman Al Mushaifri missing his headed attempt from inside the box before Issam Al Sabhi forced Iraq keeper Jalal Hassan into action moments later.

Al Saadi wasted another attempt for Oman in the 25th minute after shooting his effort from distance over the bar following  Al Busaidi’s headed pass, while Jameel Al Yahmadi had his attempt saved from inside the six-yard-box two minutes later.

“The match could have ended with a better result than a loss, and the Iraqi team snatched the victory by exploiting a corner kick,” said Silhavy.

“Our players were able to regain their composure after falling behind but were unable to score. This loss does not end our campaign and we will work hard to keep our hopes alive.”

Oman kept Hassan busy in the second half with the shotstopper keeping out All Mushaifri’s long range effort in the 49th minute before foiling Al Yahmadi a minute later.

Despite the introduction of Zahir Al Aghbari, Muhsen Al Ghassani and Khalid Al Braiki, Oman struggled to create clear cut chances with Hassan pulling off a fine save to repel Abdullah Fawaz’s effort from distance in the 88th minute.

Oman suffered more woes in the fifth minute of added time as Arshad Said Al Alawi was sent off after picking up a second yellow card as Iraq held on for the points.

Iraq coach Jesus Casas said they still have a long way to go to secure a ticket to the World Cup.

“The most important thing is the three points. In general the first match is always not easy, and we saw teams like Australia, Qatar and South Korea suffer,” said Casas.

“We did not have much possession of the ball and the physical factor was the reason for that. In any case, these are just three points from one match, and we have nine matches remaining and we have to think about each one separately.”

“We have four days left before the match against Kuwait, and they are not enough to help the players with the physical factor but we have 26 players, we have alternatives to compensate for those who are exhausted.