Muscat – Oman and South Korea will both be determined to get their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 2026 campaigns back on track when they face off in Group B on Tuesday.

Oman suffered a 1-0 defeat against Iraq, while South Korea were left frustrated following their 0-0 draw against Palestine on Thursday.

Oman head coach Jaroslav Silhavy believes his side deserved more from their 1-0 loss to Iraq and remains optimistic about his team’s campaign.

“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.”

The last time the two sides met was in the AFC Asian Cup 2015, which ended 1-0 in favour of South Korea with the East Asians only having lost once in six previous meetings.

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo will need to reassess and improve their tactics after the East Asian side failed to find a way past the Palestinian defence.

“I think our players did their best until the end, but we got off on the wrong foot to begin this qualification phase. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and start our tactical preparation for the next match,” said Hong. “How these players feel is really important. Those based in Europe flew in to play right after playing their club matches, and they had some physical