Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Ali Saleh, Khalid Al Dhanhani, Harib Abdulla helped UAE rally in style against hosts Qatar in their Asian qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Al Rayyan on Thursday. UAE won 3-1 to start the third stage of qualifiers where there are two places on offer from their group which also consists Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
Paulo Bento’s side looked nervous and was under pressure straightaway in the first half at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. The anxiety translated into a goal in the 38th minute for the hosts through Ibrahim Al Hassan.
The second half saw the national side come out with positive intent and had two shots on target compared to their rivals with 10 minutes of regulation time left. The second attempt resulted in an brilliant equaliser from Abdulla in the far corner of the net, but the game still looked evenly balanced even though Qatar had to replace their goalscorer just after the hour mark.
However, the momentum pivoted with Al Dhanhani putting the UAE ahead for the first time, also through a lovely left-footer into the top right corner of the goal. But the team also survived a penalty scare when substitute Mohamed Abbas tried a sliding tackle at the edge of the penalty box on the back line. Abbas’ back of the hand above the elbow connected with the stray ball but the referee ruled against pointing to the spot after consulting the VAR.
Qatar tried to find the equaliser on the counter but a momentary lack of concentration in the defence saw Yahya Nader steal the ball and feed Saleh who smashed the ball into the top of the netting to underline an indeed thrilling victory. The UAE’s goals came in the 68th, 80th and 94th minutes of the game for a morale-boosting victory, the national team’s first since 2015.
