Just 24 hours before UAE boss Mahdi Ali faced reporters full of smiles on Sunday evening, South Korea coach Uli Stielike had sat in the same seat in Canberra. The stern-faced German told reporters after a scrappy 1-0 win in Oman, that he would rather start the Asian Cup slowly and then improve than win the first game 5-0 and get everyone too excited and fade.
For UAE, it wasn't quite 5-0 but perhaps Stielike had a point. Everyone connected with the United Arab Emirates was pretty excited after the 4-1 thrashing of a highly-rated Qatar team. The post-match press conference was running overtime but coach Mahdi Ali didn't mind. “More questions? No problem.” The boss looked as if he could stay talking about this opening game for hours.
After Khalfan Ibrahim had put Qatar ahead with a lovely lob midway through the first half, UAE came back in style with two goals each for Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout. This game was expected to be tight but it was anything but.
There had been some questions asked before the game as to how and why Ali seemed so happy. Rarely has a coach, under pressure to perform well at a major tournament looked so relaxed. This was no act. He was enjoying himself before kickoff. “Perhaps he knows something we don't” muttered one journalist. So it turned out but not even Ali, still in his red cap, surely expected such an emphatic start.
“I'm very happy with this win,” he said. “I was sure that the players would do their best. We worked hard for this game as this was the key game. The first step gives players motivation and confidence for the second game.”
Opposite number Djamel Belmadi looked a little shell-shocked and not very happy, telling one journalist that he could explain his tactics for the next game against Iran but he doubted that the writer would be able to understand.
If only his team had been so cutting. Coming into the tournament on an 11-match unbeaten run, the Maroons took the lead but then it all fell apart. “There are no positives to take from this game,” the Algerian said. “I said before there are good teams in this group and this is the case. In the second half, I tried to make changes but against a team like UAE it is hard to get back into the game.”
It is when your goalkeeper and defence are giving away presents. It was a torrid afternoon for Qasem Burhan. The stopper was at fault for at least two of the UAE's goals though Belmadi absolved his number one of blame for the third. “The defenders did not help him. The attacker runs and the defenders should run too… [Qasem] made two mistakes but this is football. In the previous competition, he was the best goalkeeper of the tournament but today was not his day.”
While UAE had help to score and missed too many chances, the way the attack worked and moved together was impressive, especially in an opening game. Much attention was placed on the fitness of number ten Omar Abdulrahman. The bushy-haired ballplayer grew increasingly influential as the game progressed- not bad for someone who has been out of action of late.
“Abdulrahman is one of the good players in the team,”said Ali. “He has not played for one and a half months as he has been injured. I am happy he performed like this. I didn't expect he will play for 90 minutes, I expected 70, I am very happy with him.”
The Al Ain man won his personal battle with Khalfan Ibrahim of Qatar, who put the Maroons ahead midway through the first half with a moment of magic. That was as good as it got. And then it all fell apart but the movement of the UAE offensive quartet was delightful at times. If they are working together so well in the first game, just how good will it be by the third, fourth, fifth and even sixth?
This is exactly the kind of talk that Stielike warned of and Ali did admit that his team would need to calm down and focus on the next clash with Bahrain.. “I have been with this group for nine years. We are celebrating today but tomorrow we have to forget about this and think about our next game. We have to work harder now.” That could be a scary prospect and not only for Bahrain.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ahmed Khalil. While he wasted some good opportunites, the striker worked hard and gave the opposition defence some real problems. More of this and he'll be a star all over Asia.
UAE VERDICT: Could hardly have gone better. Despite going behind, bounced back well and defeated a close rival. A great team performance and the attacking quartet was especially impressive.
QATAR VERDICT: Hugely disappointing. The goal seemed to make the team nervous and it was all downhill from there. The goalkeeper and the defence need to improve, and quickly.
YOU HAD TO BE THERE: The man of the match usually has to answer two questions after the game and then he can go. They always do so happily and let the coach take over. In Canberra, Khalil answered his pair but he was going nowhere and sat throughout the whole press conference, with a smile almost as wide as his boss.
