Last-gasp Goal Secures UAE Win

UAE’s upcoming star made the best of the spoon-fed cross from Subait Khater on the goal-line.

It was a sweet revenge for the UAE, who lost to the Uzbek for the same score during the first leg match at the Sharjah Stadium early late last year.

Al Menhali paid back in style this time by clinching the winner.

With this result, the UAE topped the Group-C standings with nine points and advanced along with Uzbekistan to the 2011 Doha Asian Cup finals.

India booked a spot in the finals after claiming the AFC Cup. And Malaysia prop up the three-team table having failed to gain a point against either side in their four games.

However, the two sides were already through, but it was a morale-boosting game for the UAE after endless disappointments since they won the Gulf Cup in 2007.

“The match was very important for us. We need to reconcile with our fans and at the same time avenge for our home defeat from the Uzbeks in the first leg of the tournament,” said the UAE skipper Saeed Al Kas.

“We played in very difficult circumstances. We have a number of injury worries with prolific striker Ismail Matar the most prominent but despite this, the boys played a lively and competitive game,” he added.

After a goalless first half, the UAE Slovenian coach made some few substitutions that made all the difference.

In the second half, JKatanec pulled out Saeed Al Kas and sent in Saeed Al Kathiri to pump in new blood before he substituted his injured winger Fahad Masoud with Sultan Al Menhali. Later he sent in Ahmed Khalil to replace Subait Khater.

The move of the Solvenian coach paid dividends and Khalil sent the beautiful cross to Al Menhali who netted the all-important goal of the 
tough clash.

The Uzbeks did, however, prevail 1-0 in the previous clash between the two sides in January last year but Kasimov declared he had given no thought to the eight prior meetings between the nations, of which Uzbekistan have won only two.

“If I think only of revenge, nothing good will come of it,” he said. “We are thinking of how, first of all, to please the fans as it is the national team’s first game this year.

“We are hampered by the fact the domestic season is yet to begin and the leading clubs have only played one official match (in the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup),” Kasimov said during the pre-match Press 
conference.

hisham@khaleejtimes.com