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Algeria edge UAE

DUBAI — The North African side Algeria edged UAE national team 1-0 in their final friendly at the Bell Stadium in the German City of Nuremberg on Saturday.

Packed with 15,000 of their die-hard supporters, the Algerians did the better work in the fast-paced clash.

Karim Zayani fired home the all-important goal of the clash in the opening minutes of the second half. The referee awarded the Algerians a penalty kick after Subait Khater made a mess of the save with his hand inside the box. Zayani made no mistake from the spot.

The UAE started the game with keeper Ali Khusaif, defenders Hamdan Al Kamali, Fares Jumaa, Yousuf Jaber and Khaled Sabeel, midfielders Amer Abdul Rahman, Subait Khater, Mohammed Al Shehhi and Zeyab Awana as Ismail Matar and Ahmed Khalil carried the hopes upfront. Slovenian coach Srecko Katanec carried out some substitutions by sending in Faisal Khalil, Saeed Al Kathiri, Sultan Bargash, Yousuf Abdul Rahman, Sultan Al Ghafri and Salem Masoud to replace Mohammed Al Shehhi, Zeyab Awana, Ismail Matar, Ali Khusaif, Amer Abdul Rahman and Khaled Sabeel respectively.

The game marked the final test for the Whites during their two-week training camp in Austria and Germany as part of their preparations for the 20^th edition of the Gulf Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Doha.

UAE players hailed

DUBAI — Rashid Al Zaabi, UAEFA board member and head of the Public Relations, Marketing and Media Committee said their experiment against Algeria was too much useful for the national team. “Our players did everything right and the touches of the head coach began to take shape,” Al Zaabi who headed the delegation to Europe said.

“The game was exciting due to the big crowd which packed the venue. The fans cheered the Algerian players enthusiastically and our players fought courageously. The national team executed brilliant attacks. We are too much proud of what we have seen from our players. They are less experienced than their opponents and still they showed great determination and harmony. This is another evidence that the UAE clubs are working hard and the FA under Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi is doing its best to provide the best facilities to prepare the national teams,” he added.