The much-needed win kept the UAE’s hopes alive of making their second appearance at the global stage
Published: Thu 14 Nov 2024, 11:01 PM
UAE players celebrate a goal against Kyrgyzstan at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. — AFP
The UAE bounced back from a string of poor results with an impressive 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan in a crucial Fifa World Cup qualifier at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
The much-needed win kept the UAE’s hopes alive of making their second appearance at the global stage. The Whites have moved up to the third spot with seven points from five matches in Group A.
It was an action-packed first half with both sides threatening early on with Kyrgyzstan’s Gulzhigit Alykulov sent his headed attempt straight at keeper Khalid Eisa, while UAE ‘s Fabio Lima flashed his attempt from outside the box over the bar.
Lima had another chance in the eighth minute when Caio Canedo threaded a through ball into the area, only for the midfielder to bungle his effort with Kyrgyz Republic keeper Erzhan Tokotayev making a routine save.
UAE continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession with Yahya Al Ghassani and Lima causing problems while at the other end, Alykulov forced a save from Khalid Eisa.
A careless backpass in the 15th minute became a nightmare for Kayrat Zhyrgalbek, as Harib Abdalla Suhail intercepted the ball before rounding Tokotayev to slot into an unguarded net.
he Central Asian side scrambled to overturn the deficit, but efforts from Alimardon Shukurov in the 17th minute and Alimardon Shukurov’s eight minutes failed to trouble Eiisa.
Tokotayev showed his best in the 35th minute when he pulled off a fine save to deny Al Ghassani off a free-kick, only to be caught out from distance moments later by Marcus Meloni as UAE doubled their lead.
Eisa then denied Valeriy Kichin from distance in the 39th minute before stopping Zhyrgalbek from point-blank range to preserve UAE’s lead going into the break.
Kyrgyzstan sent Andriy Mishchenko, Nurlanbek Sarykbaev, Kimi Merk and Beknaz Almazbekov into the mix but a second-half fightback didn’t materialise with Abdalla Suhail netting his second of the evening in the 86th minute to seal the win.
The UAE play Qatar next while Kyrgyzstan will have their hands full against Iran on Matchday Six.
Asia has eight direct slots for the next Fifa World Cup which will be a 48-team tournament.
Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.
The UAE have been drawn in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait will compete in Group B while Group C features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will then compete in the six-team fourth round of qualifiers.
The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will be locked in a playoff battle.
The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
The UAE haven’t qualified for the World Cup since their maiden appearance at the global showpiece in 1990. (with inputs from AFC)
ALSO READ:
A Staff Reporter
Got an interesting story to tell in the UAE? We want to hear all about it. Write to the nation’s best reporting team, as we cover the emirates like no one else.
Sign Up For Breaking News Alerts
Be in the know. Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
