Jordan hold UAE in AFC U23 group tie

Dubai - Australia defeated Vietnam 2-0 on Sunday

By KT Report

Published: Tue 19 Jan 2016, 3:30 PM

The UAE missed out on the chance to guarantee themselves a quarterfinal berth when they were held to a goalless stalemate in the second round in Group D of the AFC U23 in Doha, late Sunday night.
On Friday night, the UAE edged Australia 1-0 with an own goal gift but the three points earned from the fixture is still no guarantee as all the top three contenders - Australia, Jordan and the UAE have three points apiece before going into the final round of the group on Wednesday.
Also on Sunday night, Australia defeated Vietnam 2-0. Australia play Jordan next and the UAE have a slightly easier task when they take on Vietnam who have lost both their matches so far.
"This match was very tough. Both teams went into it with a huge spirit to win, taking into consideration the situation that both of us won our previous match," UAE assistant coach Noureddine Abidi told the AFC media committee.
"It meant a different calculation and strategy. We started strong and we had two good chances in the first half and if we had scored we would have been in a good situation, but apart from these two chances the game was very tactical.
"For us it was a positive result as it brings us one step closer to the qualification. Everything is in our hands and in the next game we have to win in order to qualify."
The Emirates started brightly with Mohamed Al Akberi seeing his effort cleared by Jordanian goalkeeper Noureddin Bani Atteyah in the fifth minute while Sultan Saif should have done better four minutes later when he was put in on goal thanks to Al Akberi's perfectly flighted centre, only to miss-hit his attempt.
As the teams settled down, though, the game developed into a midfield tussle with neither team managing to assert control until Abdullah Ali pulled the trigger on a well-struck effort from the edge of the Jordanian penalty area, only to see the ball go just wide of Atteyah's left post.