Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
For the UAE national football team, the “Dream of a Nation” in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup is one match away from reality when they take on hosts Qatar in Doha on Tuesday night.
The two sides play the final round-robin clash in the three-team Group A, with the winners sealing a place in the Finals along with the Group B toppers. Just a draw would suffice for the UAE, but Qatar need a win to upset the applecart. Yet, like the proverbial darkest hour before dawn, the pressure to stay on course for the dream is not without its challenges for Cosmin Olaroiu’s team.
The Whites take on Qatar for a third time in the campaign having won 5-0 and 3-1 away and home respectively. But that’s history and the UAE must guard against a backlash at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when the match kicks off at 9pm UAE time.
The head to head record and a 2-1 rallying win against Oman on Saturday night will surely provide all the confidence the UAE need, but they also have to contend with the fact that the hosts have allotted only 8% of the seating for the UAE fans. The 5,000 seats in the game with Oman has been cut to just 1,500 seats. Even for the Saturday game, many more UAE fans had to park themselves at public screening places such as the Souk Waqif.
Olaroiu set the tone early on Monday afternoon. “Such confrontations require high mental readiness, but we will treat the confrontation as a final and look forward to achieving the dream of the Emirati people.
“Unfortunately, a large number of our fans were unable to obtain tickets. We requested an increase, but we will face all challenges and focus only on achieving victory,” said Olaroiu, assuring that the big stage beckoning is a “great motivation” for the players.
Enough to even offset also the fact that the UAE have the shortest turnaround time for the vital group decider. “Our focus during the past hours was on recovery, given the short time between the two matches, in addition to studying our opponents’ style of play and how to adapt to it. We do not like to talk about excuses or pressure, as both teams are striving to win, and we are ready to give our best.”
The early minutes in the Oman game also would have been a wake-up call for Olaroiu as the less fancied Oman took the lead and forced nervous moments for the Emiratis. The Romanian coach’s second-half adjustments proved decisive.
Sitting next to Olaroiu, Winger Ali Saleh said: We know this match will be difficult, but our self-confidence is strong. Just as we presented a strong second half in the last match, we seek to start with the same spirit. We know that the number of our fans in the stands is limited, but … we feel the support of our fans everywhere.”
The defence, led by Al Wahda centre-back Sasa Ivkovic, must rise again to the occasion to nullify the threat of Akram Afif and Almoez Ali.
While Olaroiu was not in charge during the earlier games against Qatar, the latter have also had a change of guard with the veteran Julien Lopetegui standing in the way of the UAE’s return to the World Cup Finals for the first time since Italia 1990.
Like Olaroiu, Lopetegui agreed his men are also treating the game as a final. “Our full focus is on not on past encounters between the teams. It’s an evenly matched contest, and we aim to win,” said the Spaniard, according to a report in Telecom Asia Sport.
“We have full confidence in ourselves and our players, and we’re ready to do whatever it takes to win and qualify. We’re facing a major challenge and we know that. We must find solutions on the field. And we’ll give everything in this decisive match to achieve that.”
Qatar’s midfielder Assim Madibo insisted that the team will come up with an improved performance compared to the goalless draw against Oman. “The UAE’s midfield is different from Oman’s, and we’re focused on executing the plan laid out by the coaching staff. Our matches against the UAE are always competitive. These 90 minutes mean World Cup qualification. We’re ready to make history.”
