Sharjah, Nov 11 (Agency) China was held 1-1 by Oman in a Group B clash in the final round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers here on Thursday. China was fifth in the six-team group with three points from four games ahead of the match, while Oman stood third with six points. For the Chinese players, this was a game they could not afford to lose or there would only be theoretical possibility for them to make it to Qatar 2022. Star striker Wu Lei opened the scoring for China 21 minutes into play when he slotted home a pass from Zhu Chenjie. Luo Guofu came close to doubling China’s lead five minutes later, but his header was denied by Oman keeper Faiyz Al-Rusheidi.
After the restart, Oman piled the pressure on Li Tie’s team and levelled the score in the 75th minute when Amjad Al-Harthi rose high to head home a corner kick by Mohsin Johar, who was brought in just 10 minutes earlier. China had a last-minute chance but Zhang Linpeng’s free kick was cleared in front of the box. With the draw, China stays in the fifth place with four points, nine behind Group B leader Saudi Arabia, who had a goalless draw with Australia earlier on Thursday. In the other Group B match on Thursday, Japan beat bottom side Vietnam 1-0 to climb up to third with nine points. China will next play its home game against Australia on November 16, which is also relocated to Sharjah due to the COVID-19 pandemic.