#360view: UAE can still dream but must shake Saudi complex

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  • UAE must break Saudi curse.

    The tifo which greeted the UAE stars as they came out at a partisan Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium last night, read “dream of a nation”, with the Russia 2018 World Cup logo optimistically emblazoned in the middle.

    These long-held aspirations for a nation starved of a sport at the globe’s premier sporting event for 26 years and counting had received significant ignition last Thursday, the Ahmed Khalil-inspired triumph in Japan arguably the finest result for this ‘Golden Generation’.

    Defeat – narrow, but deserved as it was – against Australia should not quell such ambitious thoughts. They remain weighted in reality. The visit of another Asian heavyweight – on a punishingly-humid evening in Abu Dhabi – and nowperennial contenders at the World Cup presented a shot at validation.

    Gain another result and one of the pair of automatic spots from the third and final qualification stage would come into view. This desire to turn a daunting opening pair of fixtures into a dream start even saw the usually placid Mahdi Ali lose his cool at the break, lambasting Malaysian referee Mohd Amirul to his face and exclaiming “do your job”.

    He could hold no such denigrating views about his charges despite a slender loss secured through 36-year-old substitute Tim Cahill’s wiles. They went toe-to-toe with the Socceroos and only just came up short.

    Play like this in the majority of contests throughout the next year and progression – glorious, long-awaited progression – can be theirs.

    This had long been predicted as the campaign in which Al Ain superstar Omar Abdulrahman and his prodigiously-talented cohorts would make good on the promise first witnessed at the 2008 AFC Under-19 Championships.

    There were solid performers across the park for the UAE, despite the result. Al Ain’s Ismail Ahmed used all his experience to put in another dogged display at centre-back, while Al Ahli defensive midfielder Khamis Esmail – on the turf which he patrolled for Al Jazira until January – was diligent with or without possession.

    It wasn’t all positives, with Ali favourite Amer Abdulrahman’s continued place in the starting line-up a quizzical one.

    If the boss is not to be accused of favouritism, a notable upturn in form at new club Al Ain must occur before the next batch of matches at home to Thailand on October 6 and the titanic clash in Saudi Arabia to follow five days later.

    Excellent Al Ahli anchorman Khamis Esmail cannot continue to do the work of two men in the middle of the park. Especially if a 4-4-2 formation is utilised yet again. The tactics also present another problem for the Whites technical staff.

    A 4-2-3-1 and desire to strike on the counter-attack through the precision of ‘Amoory’ and pace of both forwards Khalil and Ali Mabkhout looked a better fit in Saitama Stadium 2002 on Thursday. A return to this approach in the Kingdom could be key.

    Especially as their recent record there is pathetic against opponents who now sit three points clear of them thanks to Nawaf Al Abed’s pair of late penalties in Iraq yesterday. Capitulation occurred during October 2015’s second-round match, in which Khalil’s rasping early free-kick was the exception.

    Prior to this, a 2014 Gulf Cup semi-final in Riyadh ended with a 3-2 loss during which a restoring of parity from two-goals down could not avoid victory.

    This setback to Australia must not create a tailspin of despondency. Instead, it must fuel the fire to, finally, prove their worth across the border.

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