UAE national team boss Mahdi Ali believes the Whites’ OSN Cup title victory can give them the momentum and motivation to succeed in their quest for 2015 Asian Cup qualification.
The UAE clinched the OSN Cup on Monday night in Saudi Arabia thanks to goals from Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil to sink New Zealand 2-0 with Al Ain's Omar Abdulrahman taking the Player of the Tournament award.
“Victories bring along more victories,” Mahdi said after the team received the cup along with a $50,000 cheque. “I have to thank the players for all the effort they’ve put in. Some of them barely had one day off between their camps with their respective clubs and coming here for this competition.
“It’s true that the team hasn’t hit top form yet and I tried everything to push them and encourage them. As a team we are always looking to win even in friendlies. Winning a tournament like this gives you momentum and consistency and we’ll try to take that into what’s next for us.”
– VIDEO: Highlights of UAE's OSN Cup win over New Zealand
Mahdi said the OSN Cup gave him a chance to experiment with some young players and that he’s looking forward to the national team’s next camp ahead of their Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.
“We have a chance in the upcoming camp to prepare the team better especially that the league will have started which will improve the fitness of the players. We’re in good spirits and we are looking forward to facing Hong Kong.”
The UAE are currently ranked 84th in the FIFA world rankings, but can expect to rise even further when the new list is released on Thursdfay.
On his part, Omar Abdulrahman, who provided the brilliant through ball from which Mabkhout scored the UAE’s second goal, says it was important to show the UAE fans that they could beat teams that are ranked higher than them in the rankings.
“It’s a big motivation for us to win a tournament that had such strong teams – teams ranked higher than us,” said Abdulrahman. “We gained experience against good teams and that can only help us in the future. Right now we’re the Gulf champions and the fans expect us to do well in every competition and that’s our goal – to honour our country in any competition.”
Goalkeeper Ali Khaseif added: “We dedicate this title to the UAE fans. We are a generation that likes winning and revels in chasing titles.
“Our team has got our fans accustomed to getting good results. We are hoping to improve our FIFA ranking and by the end of the year we can reach new heights.”
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