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UAE rout Malaysia: Mahdi Ali's men thrash hapless visitors in World Cup qualifier

Abu Dhabi - As the Capital was covered in a sandstorm, the country's finest footballers kicked up one on their own on a hazy Thursday night, to leave Malaysia in a daze.

 The Malaysian coach Dollah Salleh had said on match eve that the UAE were one of the best teams in Asia and had also heaped praise on playmaker Omar Abdulrahman. And the UAE, as well as 'Amoory' provided proof on how good they indeed are.
As the Capital was covered in a sandstorm, the country's finest footballers kicked up one on their own on a hazy Thursday night, to leave Malaysia in a daze.
Mahdi Ali's men were ruthless and relentless as they ground a hapless Malaysia to dust at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in a Group A fixture of the World Cup qualifier.
If it were to be measured, this was undoubtedly a 10 on 10 by the UAE, much like the final scoreline. The Whites racked up 10 without reply with Al Jazira frontman Ali Ahmed Mabkhout and Al Ahli ace Ahmed Khalil notching up hat-tricks on the night.
Khalil helped himself to four, while Mabhout had three. Al Ain's Mohanad Salem and Mohammed Ahmed and Al Ahli's Habib Al Fardan scored one each.
And playmaker Omar Abdulrahman was the pivot, with the Al Ain genius conjuring six of the assists, while Bani Yas playmaker Amer Abdulrahman had three.
The UAE came ever so close to recording their biggest win but just about fell short. The record is 12-0 against Brunei in 2001.
For Malaysia, though, it was indeed the biggest loss in their history. Their worst showing has been 8-2 against New Zealand in 1967.
Coach Mahdi Ali was pleased with the result. "It is a result of what they did during the camp. The main reason that we won was because we respected the opponents and we were ready for all scenarios," he said.
Meanwhile, Salleh was lost for words after the game. "I don't know what happened tonight," he said. "Everything collapsed and the UAE played fantastic football, especially Omar, super player. It was a disaster for us. I don't know what to say really, so sorry guys," he added.
The Malaysian coach said he hadn't expected such a result. "I didn't expect 10 goals. I knew it was not easy to win. At the least, we wanted a draw. But the way the UAE played and how my players played, we conceded some cheap goals. And the UAE took advantage. I don't know what to say but it is not the end of the world," said Salleh.
james@khaleejtimes.com 

goals & cardS
UAE 10
> Goals: Mohanad Salem 16, Ali Ahmed Mabkhout 22, 33, 75, Ahmed Khalil 23, 30, 70, 78, Habib Al Fardan 25, Mohammed Ahmed 39. Yellow card: Mohanad Salem 13
Malaysia 0
> Yellow cards: Muhammad Zubir bin Mohd Azmi 34, Mohd Amri bin Yahyah 85

results
> Group A
UAE 10 Malaysia 0
> Group B
Australia 5 Bangladesh 0
> Group C
China 0 Hong Kong 0
> Group E
Japan 3 Cambodia 0
> Group F
Iraq 5 Chinese Taipei 1
> Group G
South Korea 8 Laos 0