India registered their first-ever win against Oman as they stunned them in the third-place clash at the CAFA Nations Cup to bag the bronze medal. The Blue Tigers won the clash on penalties 3-2 after 1-1 deadlock in the regulation and extra time.
India stunned the much higher-ranked Oman in the third-place playoff at the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 with a surprising win over them on penalties on Monday, September 8. The Blue Tigers mounted a sensational comeback after trailing 0-1 with a goal late in the second half, which pushed the match into extra time and then into penalties at the Hisor Central Stadium, Hisor.
India and Oman had their chances, but despite the latter having kept the majority of the momentum, they could not score in the first half. Al Yahmadi opened the scoring sheets with a strong shot to the bottom corner after receiving a good ball from Al Kaabi in the 56th minute.ย
India’s resistance seemed to be fading, but Udanta Singh scored the much-needed equaliser for the team with a header in the 81st minute after Rahul Bheke flicked a long throw from Valpuia to him in front of the goal.ย
The 133rd-ranked Indian team took the game into the extra-time and had a chance of sealing it when Oman were reduced to 10 men due to a red card. However, as the game went into the penalties, India found just enough to stun their strong opponents 3-2 in the spot kicks.
How did India play the CAFA despite not being members of it?
Notably, India are not part of the Central Asian Football Association, which is one of the five regional associations of the Asian Football Confederation. There are six members in the Association, namely, Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. India and Oman are not part of it.ย
This was the second edition of the tournament, with eight teams taking part in it. Oman played the previous edition in 2023, too, and finished third. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Oman were invited as guest teams for the 2025 edition; however, the Malaysians pulled out due to due to logistical challenges and the unavailability of players.ย
India replaced Malaysia in the eight-team event and were among the two guest teams for the tournament.
India’s performance at CAFA Nations Cup
India had earlier finished second in Group B with a win, a loss and a drawn game. The Blue Tigers defeated co-hosts Tajikistan 2-1, and despite being on the same points and having an inferior goal difference to them, they progressed to the playoffs due to their head-to-head victory in the league stage.
Notably, India are members of theย South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). India have won the SAFF championship a record nine times and are also the defending champions of the tournament after their win over Kuwait in 2023.