UAE heroes upbeat after defeating Saudi Arabia
al ain — The UAE players said a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia will help them in other tournaments even if they don’t qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Goals from Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout were enough for the win at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday night.
Despite the win, the UAE remained fourth on the table but with 13 points but managed to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
Ahmed Khalil, one of the goal scorers, said coach Edgardo Bauza has been able to make a difference to the side.
“Sometimes you have good players but you need to know how to use them. The good thing is the coach understands his players.”
He exuded confidence for the Iraq match on Sept. 5. The UAE will practice in Dubai and are expected to travel to Jordan on Sept. 3.
“We are in a difficult situation. The important thing about this win is that we know we can change our situation. We will do what we can do to qualify. We will put up a high performance.”
Khalil is now the joint top-scorer with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Al Sahlawi in the tournament with 16 goals. However, the Al Jazira striker said his priority is always his team and he doesn’t think too much about records.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Khalid Eisa said: “We played a very good match as everybody fought for the win. This result leaves the team in a better frame of mind.
“Our coaching staff boosted our morale. Our coach also had good tactics. We will put a better fight against Iraq.”
Midfielder Khamis Esmaeel said the win has made up for the bad moments. “We want to show everybody that we can do the country proud. We were one unit today and won. This victory will help us for future matches.”
The UAE took to field without Omar Abdulrahman and other key players but the team showed grit and determination to win.
In a must-win scenario, Bauza showed attacking instincts by fielding Khalil, Mabkhout and experienced Matar from the start.
And in the early proceedings, the UAE kept pressure as the Saudis were happy sitting back. The match came to life by the 10th minute as Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Sahlawi pulled out a header from the centre of the box. The UAE responded with an attempt by Mabkhout from Tariq Ahmed’s header.
The goal finally came as wily Nawaf Al Abid drew a foul in the penalty area.
The referee found Mohamed Fawzi guilty of bringing down Abid. And the Saudi midfielder had keeper Khalid Eisa go the wrong way to make it 1-0.
However, UAE responded immediately as an alert Tariq Ahmed found Mabkhout inside the danger area and the Al Jazira star craftily drilled the ball past Abdullah Al Mayouf into the left corner. The UAE showed hunger for a win. It was a team desperate to prove their credentials without prowess of Omar.
After the break, Saudi Arabia played aggressively and in the 53rd minute, defender Osama Hawsawi hit the crossbar with a header from the Nawaf Al Abid’s corner. And minutes later, midfielder Yahia Al Shehri’s narrowly missed the mark with his header.
The ‘Green brigade’ were seizing control and just then out of the blue, Khalil pulled a stunner with his right foot to put the ‘Whites’ ahead. Khalil, like he has often did in the past, scored a long-ranger that a keeper couldn’t keep out.
In another blow, Bauza had to replace an injured Mabkhout with Salem Saleh. And with 20 minutes to go Mohamed Abdulrahman replaced Ahmed Barman. And with 15 minutes, skipper Matar made way for Habib Fardan. Bauza’s message was clear — defend the one-goal advantage.
In the closing stages, Al Hammadi was handed a second yellow for challenge on Muwallad. And despite some nervous moments at the end, the UAE held onto a famous win. Now, it’s all to play for the UAE as they face Iraq on Sept. 5.