Desperately in need of victory to spark their World Cup campaign, the UAE could not deliver.
They were held to a 2-2 draw by Iraq in a sapping finale in Dubai on Tuesday night, an already teetering final-round run trembling some more.
Four matches in on this final stretch to what they hope be Qatar 2022, the UAE remain winless, now fourth in Group A. Stuck on three points, they languish a long way from the top two slots that guarantee a berth at the global finals.
How to sum up a frenetic conclusion at the Zabeel Stadium? Leading through Caio Canedo’s first-half strike, the UAE found themselves 2-1 down deep into injury-time courtesy of a Mohammed Al Attas own goal and substitute Ayman Hussein’s late finish.
Then, Ali Mabkhout equalised from close range to set up a barnstorming finish, and Khalfan Mubarak appeared to have won it. It took a Video Assistant Referee review – the prodded shot looked beyond the Iraqi line, but was judged not – and then the referee to signal that it was, in fact, the final act of the game.
When all was said and done, the UAE had suffered what could be a decisive blow in their aspirations of direct qualification. They must now surely focus on third place and a backdoor route to the World Cup.
The UAE had led for some time. Just after the half hour Majed Hassan drove into space before passing to Mabkhout. The UAE striker laid off the ball to Abdullah Hamad, who just about got his studs in the way to play in Canedo.
Having continued his surge forward, and now in behind the Iraq defence, the forward swivelled and drilled high into the roof of the net. The UAE support, growing increasingly agitated, roared their approval, perhaps more out of sheer relief than anything else.
Canedo, who has struggled to catch fire for his adopted country, raced to the corner in celebration and leapt upon the fence opposite the home fans.
Until that point, the UAE had been particularly poor. Perhaps the strain of the occasion was weighing heavily, for straightforward passes were misplaced, little interplay on evidence.
Actually, the opening goal came moments after Iraq carved their best chance. Played in on goal via a lofted pass that caught static the UAE defence, captain Alaa Abdul Zahra poked wide as Ali Khaseif closed quickly the angle. Scare survived, soon the UAE had seized the lead.
They should have doubled it not long into the second half. Fabio De Lima set free the irrepressible Bandar Al Ahbabi down the UAE right, leaving the full-back to square to Mabkhout.
The frontman, off colour now in his two most recent internationals, slid and stretched and just about connected with the ball. However, with only Iraq goalkeeper Fahad Talib to beat, he stabbed wide. In truth, Al Ahbabi’s centre was always just getting away from him.
On the hour, Iraq threatened to draw level. Presented with a free-kick right on the edge of the UAE penalty area, defender Ali Faez curled a fierce effort goalwards, only for Khaseif to punch clear. It was the first time the visitors had truly tested the UAE captain.
At the other end, Mabkhout failed to escape his marker when played in over the top. It prompted calls from the stands for Sebastian Tagliabue, his fellow striker. Those only grew louder on 70 minutes, when Mabkhout shot straight at Talib after De Lima had slipped him in.
Then, in a blink of an eye, disaster. Attempting to head clear a floated cross at the UAE back post, instead Mohammed Al Attas glanced the ball into his own net. Van Marwijk, now drawing the ire of the supporters, sent on playmaker Mubarak in a bid to rescue the result.
Yet, a neat stepover from Amir Al Ammari teed up Hussein’s cool finish. Suddenly, the UAE stared defeat in the eyes. Finally, Mabkhout stepped up, ramming the ball over the Iraq line to salvage a point.
Though, that was nowhere near enough. Seeking that win, that triumph to spark a flagging campaign, the UAE departed in disappointment. The road to Qatar took another unwelcome twist.
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
NINE WINLESS GAMES
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)
Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (Oct 30, EFL)
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)
Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal (Nov 6, Europa)
Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)
Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
More on animal trafficking
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE%20SWIMMERS
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PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
