Sport360° view: UAE must break Iran jinx to thrive at Asian Cup

Martyn Thomas 13:05 27/03/2014
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  • Taking their talents Down Under: Mohammed Fawzi and Omar Abdulrahman.

    Mahdi Ali might not have raised his baseball cap to the news but he would have been afforded a smile as he took in the draw for the Asian Cup.

    The UAE have been placed in Group C alongside Iran, Qatar and Bahrain. By no means an easy pool but it could have been a lot worse, with the Whites narrowly avoiding heavyweights Japan.

    Samurai Blue, who will not have it easy alongside Iraq and Jordan in Group D, are likely to await in the quarter-finals though, meaning Mahdi’s men must realistically win their pool if they are to make good on their promise to reach the last four.

    Historically the UAE have not done all that well in Asian football’s biggest tournament. They reached the semi-finals in 1992 and were runners-up four years later on home soil, but have not made it out of the group stages on six further appearances.

    This time was supposed to be different, under Mahdi the Whites are on a 20-game unbeaten run and have won the Gulf Cup of Nations.

    There is a long way to go between now and their first game on January 11, 2015 at Canberra Stadium, but in their favour is the fact they play both Qatar and Bahrain first.

    The current political situation which has seen the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, withdraw its ambassador from Doha is sure to give that clash an added edge but the country’s footballers should need no extra motivation.

    Mahdi’s side must win their first two games if they are to top Group C and they will be confident too. The Whites beat both Qatar and Bahrain en route to Gulf Cup success last year and could meet them in Riyadh again in November with the draw for the 2014 Gulf Cup set to take place in August.

    They have scored 11 goals in their last three games against Bahrain, but tournament football brings with it a certain kind of pressure. Knowing how important those matches are could get to the players, with Iran looming in the final game.

    The UAE’s record against the three-time Asian Cup winners is woeful, winning just one of 15 games, losing 11 and scoring just four goals. The most recent of those defeats is still painful, as a 3-0 reverse, including a Walid Abbas own goal, confirmed a pitiful and goalless exit from the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar.

    At least nine of the players who played three years ago will be in the squad for the game in Brisbane on January 19. They are a different animal now though, with the core having impressed at the 2012 Olympics before winning the Gulf Cup.

    They will therefore be determined to banish the painful memory of three years ago and if they can maintain their form over the next 10 months they will arrive in Australia assured that they can do just that.

    Silence is never golden for Cosmin

    Making your return to UAE football at the home of your former club, the club that had got you banned in the first place, many coaches would have kept a low profile. But then Cosmin Olaroiu is not most coaches.

    Not content with the good fortune of finding his dugout situated in front of Al Ahli staff, WAGs and media, the Romanian roamed the technical area theatrically, making himself a target for the Al Ain fans nearby.

    He took particular exception to the Boss’ second-half penalty and ran onto the pitch at the final whistle to remonstrate with the referee. It was a pity because he didn’t need to do it.

    Ahli were comfortably the better side for much of the game and should have won more comfortably than they did in the end. Yes the penalty was debatable but in the end it had no effect on a result that keeps the Red Knights six points clear at the top of the Arabian Gulf League with just six games left.

    The Dubai club are also in the finals of the League and President’s Cups and second in Group D of the AFC Champions League only on goal difference. Olaroiu should be enjoying the fruits of his good work at the Rashid Stadium, which has been carried out under undoubted pressure.

    Yet the Romanian appears to covert controversy and revel in drama. It was that ego that prompted his move from Al Ain to Dubai, but let’s hope it does not sour the historic success his side could yet complete.

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