After a flawless build-up to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on home soil, optimism was high for the UAE. But the Young Whites got their campaign off to a disastrous start by losing 2-1 to a Honduras side they were expected to comfortably dispatch.
Sport360°'s Kenny Laurie was at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium to watch the UAE slump to their Central American opponents.
MATCH SUMMARY Things couldn't have started much worse for the UAE, despite two great early chances. Alberth Elins made fools of the defence before laying on to Freddy Medina who made no mistake.
Soon after, Sultan Al Shamsi was red carded for a studs up challenge, sending the UAE into a tailspin. While execution was the hosts' greatest enemy all game, Suhail Al Noobi found a moment of clarity to drift a gorgeous ball into Khalid Khalfan's path. The striker rounded the keeper and pulled the UAE level.
The extra man really showed in the second half as Honduras spent a serious amount of time in the UAE half and the hosts just couldn't get the bodies forward to make a significant difference.
Eventually the host's defensive line broke and Brayan Velasquez's firm drive from outside the box decided the game.
TACTICAL ANALYSIS The UAE set up in a standard 4-2-3-1 but that obviously immediately went out of the window when Sultan Al Shamsi was sent off.
Any tactics the UAE had wanted to rely on were also compromised by a worrying inability to make a simple pass.
Early on, nerves were clearly a factor as pass attempts were either too cute or simply not thought through. Once they calmed down, Al Shamsi was sent off and they routinely found themselves short of a man when a key ball was flashed across the box.
Tactically, their structures of neat squares and triangles was good, but the execution was all off.
Honduras had one advantage that the UAE didn't have; a huge man-child up front. Alberth Elis was a real handful all game and he and his antithesis Isaac Borjas had a nice little partnership going. But if there was one over-riding Honduran tactical trait, it was trying to get UAE players booked. Some of their play acting was really abominable.
STAR(S) OF TOMORROW On a global stage, it's unlikely anyone on the pitch will rival Neymar or Fabregas. But Alberth Elis really caught the eye. Maybe it's just his physique that allows him to dominate at this level – but perhaps won't translate to adulthood – but Elis really uses his body well and forces the defensive line much deeper than they'd like to go. A bit of a Drogba.
Isaac Borja is worth half an eye. A real diminutive player with swagger and bags of technique.
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID
Rashed Amer (UAE) "We were playing ok at the beginning, we had a nice start but we missed two chances and the red card given to the player changed the way the whole game went. This is football after all, hopefully they can improve in the next two games."
Jose Valladares (Honduras) "We are very satisfied with the team and how we worked in the field. We know we don't have the good players that maybe other teams have but we got the three points and we are happy with that, we are really looking forward to the matches that are coming."
VERDICT It would be very harsh to the lay the blame at Al Shamsi's rush of blood, but going down to 10 men seriously compromised the UAE. Their passing was at time every poor, with far too much hoofing, but the positives were that the two centre backs, Ahmed Rashid and Sultan Al Badrani, were impressive. It's all now about how the UAE bounce back.
They face Brazil next and they cannot afford to lose…
Also the Honduran diving had to be highlighted, or rather the play acting. There were more occasions than I could keep with when a player rolled around for minutes before shooting up and playing on.
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