The first half of the decisive round of the UAE’s World Cup qualifying campaign began with a whipped left-foot strike by Harib Abdullah, and ended in the exact same fashion.
The Shabab Al Ahli forward’s goal to cap the 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan on Thursday night was a reminder of the thrilling way in which the national team started out in their bid to make it back to a first World Cup since 1990.
His effort in the Al Rayyan Stadium back in September started the UAE’s 3-1 comeback win over Qatar. It was that success against the back-to-back champions of Asia that infused the country with belief that qualification is possible.
In the meantime, the UAE have wandered off track, to the extent that their reverse fixture with Qatar feels like it is a must-win encounter if they are to take an automatic qualifying place.
The top two sides in the six-team group are assured a place at the main event, in North America in 2026. Iran are clear at the top, six points ahead of the UAE and Qatar, who are third and fourth respectively.
But Qatar’s dramatic late win over second-placed Uzbekistan on Thursday means both the Gulf sides are within striking distance of second place.
If the UAE can claim the scalp of Qatar for the second time, at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, they would go above the Uzbeks if the Central Asian side were to lose against North Korea.
Ifs, buts, and maybes are only a distraction, though, according to Paulo Bento. The UAE coach is demanding his side focus solely on the task at hand, given that it is a very sizeable one on its own.
“When you start thinking too much ahead, it can be a problem,” Bento said. “We should create solutions ourselves.
UAE 3-0 Kyrgyzstan – in pictures
“[Qatar] are a team with quality and experience, who won the last two Asian Cups, and played in the 2022 World Cup as well.
“They have a coach [Tintin Marquez] who knows the context and the football in the country really well. We know that it is an important game for both teams, and we know we can compete well against them.
“It is going to demand a lot of things from our side, in many aspects of the game – not just the technical and tactical ones, but also the mental aspects.”
Bento said that win in Doha counts for nothing now, other than to prove to his players that their visitors are beatable.
“We know the game will not be exactly the same,” said Bento, who expects Khalifa Al Hammadi, the centre back who was withdrawn early with injury against Kyrgyzstan, to be fit to start.
“We should take certain things from the game we played against them, as well as other aspects that they showed in their next games. Based on that, we have to prepare the best strategy.
“We should be humble, and recognise the other side is a very good team, with clear goals for this qualifier, but we should also be ambitious in order to reach a good result.
“The only way that we can do that is to be organised as a team, be focused on our tasks, and try to manage all the moments of the game as well as possible in order to get the three points.”
After that bright start in Doha, the UAE’s form dipped, most notably in a game against North Korea in Al Ain. That draw represented two lost points, and came against the backdrop of a lukewarm atmosphere at a two-thirds empty Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
The national team tend to be at their best when they are feeding off fervent home support and right-back Khalid Al Dhanhani expects that to be the case against Qatar.
“For us it is more important because we are playing at home in front of our fans and in our country,” said Al Dhanhani, who scored a fine goal in that win in Qatar.
“We have to do our very best to achieve a win in this match. I believe with the players' qualities, with the fans’ support, and with the faith we have in our abilities, we can achieve the win.”
Akram Afif, Qatar’s talisman, placed equal weight on the backing of the fans. He said his side will be doing all they can to satisfy their own supporters.
“Fans are very important to us, of course,” Afif said. “We play for them and our goal is to make them happy. Trying to achieve a win in this game is our objective to try to make our fans satisfied.”
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
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
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E9pm%3A%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(Dirt)%202%2C000m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Mubhir%20Al%20Ain%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%20(jockey)%2C%20Ahmed%20Al%20Mehairbi%20(trainer)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E9.30pm%3A%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%202%2C000m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Exciting%20Days%2C%20Oscar%20Chavez%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E10pm%3A%20Al%20Ain%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Prestige%20(PA)%20Dh100%2C000%20(D)%202%2C000m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Suny%20Du%20Loup%2C%20Marcelino%20Rodrigues%2C%20Hamad%20Al%20Marar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E10.30pm%3A%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C800m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Jafar%20Des%20Arnets%2C%20Oscar%20Chavez%2C%20Ahmed%20Al%20Mehairbi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E11pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Taj%20Al%20Izz%2C%20Richard%20Mullen%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al%20Hadhrami%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E11.30pm%3A%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Majdy%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Jean%20de%20Roualle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E12am%3A%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Hamloola%2C%20Sam%20Hitchcott%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Ketbi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
