Kuumar Shyam (Al Ain)
The stage for a much anticipated riveting clash between UAE and Iran could not have any better that what is in store on Tuesday for the football fans descending at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain for the Asian qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup.
The third stage on the Road to 26 also serves as qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup, but both teams will have immediate focus on the day's match for different reasons respectively.
The national football team sounded cautiously optimistic fresh from a shock, morale-boosting 3-1 comeback victory against Qatar on their trip to the city nation on Thursday, the first part of a rough opening patch in their group where top teams will qualify for the World Cup directly. Iran and Qatar are the toughest rivals for the UAE from Group A, which also consists of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and North Korea.
With Qatar negotiated on their home turf, stylishly with three second-half goals, Al Ain can look forward to home comfort against the most formidable of their rivals – Iran, A lacklustre start by Iran will not make Paulo Bento and his side complacent, though.
The Portuguese coach never looked happy or showed his relief even when UAE went into the lead twice at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Doha in the last 15 minutes, until the whistle was blown.
Iran displayed resilience to see off the challenge of Kyrgyzstan, winning their opening tie 1-0. UAE's better goal difference has put them on top of the table with Iran in second. The UAE also managed to break Qatar's stranglehold by getting their first win against their neighbours since 2015.
Yet, if there was a calming voice needed, Bento provided it on the eve of the Iran clash, saying the victory last week only showed that his side has the ability to respond to different situations.
Bento, who guided South Korea to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, will expect a similar performance against Iran. "We are not geniuses when we turn around a result like that. We are not failures when we lose the game either. We are simple people who try to win in football. We try to bring the players the best possible tools to win a game," said Bento.
While the UAE is seeking its second entry at the FIFA World Cup, since 1990, Iran are bidding for a fourth consecutive appearance and seventh overall. The latter did just enough to get the points against Kyrgyzstan with head coach Amir Ghalenoei conceded he expects to see an improved performance against UAE. "We could have scored five or six but our offensive substitutions didn't quite work out. We will try to show better quality in the next game."
At the pre-match conference, UAE defender Yahya Nader said: "I thank my fellow players for what we achieved in the Qatar match and score three important points. Our morale is high. We know that confronting the Iranian team is not easy, but we aspire to collect points on our field."
Iran will still head into the clash with a heavy upper hand based on a formidable track record. In 19 matches on the international stage, including friendlies, Iran has won 15, drawn three and lost just once, according to statistics from 11v11. That defeat dates back September 2, 1997, in a friendly. A 27-year-old drought for UAE continued when Iran defeated them at the 2023 Asian Cup in their most recent clash.
Bento has included three players with European football experience to add an X-factor of which one – Kouame Autonne – took the field against Qatar. Mackenzie Hunt and Junior Ndiaye are yet to feature. Will Bento pull off a rabbit out of the hat remains to be seen.
Nine-year-old Saeed Al Marri has had a memorable week which could possibly continue into Tuesday.
He witnessed a memorable game against Qatar in Doha and then returned only to find himself invited to a training session of the national team at Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, where the players happily posed for pictures with him.
The child was present in the stands of Ahmed bin Ali stadium in Doha to support the national team. When the moment arrived of the Ali Saleh scoring the third goal to put the match beyond the Qatari hosts, tears of joy from Al Marri went viral on social media.
The Football Association honored the young Emirati fan by calling him over and let players present the national team jersey to him at the New York University Stadium ground.