Fifa World Cup: UAE look to continue  momentum against Iran in qualifier

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UAE players train ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifying game against Iran. The Whites face a must-win situation to keep their 2022 Fifa World Cup hopes alive. (UAE National Team twitter)

UAE got their campaign back on track with back-to-back wins in Group A over Lebanon and Syria

By Team KT

Published: Tue 1 Feb 2022, 12:38 AM

UAE will look to continue the momentum when they take on Iran at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran (6:30pm UAE Time) on Tuesday.

Following a slow start to their campaign in the third round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers, UAE got their campaign back on track with back-to-back wins in Group A over Lebanon (November 16) and Syria (January 27).

The two crucial wins (1-0 against Lebanon and 2-0 against Syria) took UAE’s tally to nine points in Group as they are now occupying the third place in the group behind the already-qualified Iran (19 points) and South Korea (17 points).

Only the top two teams in each group earn automatic qualification for the 2022 World Cup, with the two third-placed teams (in Group A and Group) need to fight a playoff battle to advance to the final playoff round against a team from South America.

Iran became the first Asian side to confirm their place in Qatar 2022 following a 1-0 win over neighbours Iraq, thanks to a Mehdi Taremi strike three minutes after the restart. The result meant coach Dragan Skocic’s men established a 10-point lead over third-placed UAE with three games to go, securing at least a second-place finish for the Iranians.

But the UAE are also riding on a high after their first back-to-back wins of the campaign.

Ali Mabkhout had made the difference for them in a 1-0 win against Lebanon back in November, and in his absence, Caio and Yahya Al Ghassani did the business, bagging the goals in a 2-0 home victory over Syria to set the tone for the remainder of the qualifiers.

Taremi’s second-half goal was the difference when the two sides met in Dubai in October, the fifth win for Iran in their seven encounters against UAE in Fifa World Cup Qualifiers. The points were shared in two previous encounters, but the UAE have never beaten Iran. In fact, Abdulrahim Juma’s strike in a 1-1 draw in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers remains UAE’s only goal against Iran.

The Whites are boosted by the return of Sharjah captain Shahin Abdulrahman. The centre-back had missed the previous game against Syria through injury, while Al Ain full-back Bandar Al Ahbabi returned after serving a one-match suspension. Iran will be without goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand who tested positive for Covid-19, having been on the bench for their previous outing.

Lebanon face Iraq

Meanwhile, Lebanon and Iraq know any hopes of clinching the playoff place in Group A will hinge on getting all three points when they face off at the Saida Municipal Stadium on Tuesday. The two sides are separated by one point and one place on the table, with Lebanon placed fourth with five points and Iraq just behind them in fifth. .

The spoils were shared when the two sides met in Doha in the reverse fixture. But following 1-0 defeats to Korea Republic and Iran respectively in the previous round, Lebanon and Iraq will want nothing short of a victory to revive their hopes.

Iraq will be without four key players for the encounter as Sherko Karim, Sameh Saeed and Hussein Jabbar tested positive for Covid-19 while midfielder Yasser Kasim is deemed unfit to face Lebanon. The Cedars, on the other side, will miss midfielder Walid Shour who suffered a muscle injury.

Goalkeeper Fahad Talib was the star performer for Iraq in their previous outing as the Lions of Mesopotamia weathered a storm of Iranian attacks before finally succumbing to a Mehdi Taremi goal in the second half.

Alex Melki struck the crossbar late in the first half against Korea Republic, minutes before Lebanon conceded to Cho Gue-sung’s first-time finish. A third consecutive loss for coach Ivan Hasek’s men left them with just one win.

Both teams will have an eye on the Iran-UAE clash at Azadi Stadium, with a win for UAE consigning Iraq to the exit door and leaving Lebanon in need of a win to retain a glimmer of hope. (with inputs from AFC website)