The UAE have made good on their promise. They sent the perfect Eid gift to their fans back home with a resounding 4-0 win over Hong Kong in a key Asian Cup qualifier.
Ali Mabkhout scored three times and Walid Abbas added an injury-time strike as the UAE consolidated their lead in Group E, taking their total to nine points in three games with a win last night at the Hong Kong National Stadium.
The result extended the UAE’s lead to five points over Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, who registered their first win following a 3-1 home result over Vietnam.
Mahdi Ali, the UAE coach, still insisted his team’s ticket to 2015 Australia was far from over with three games left.
“We have accomplished the third step in this qualification,” he said. “We have three steps to go and we are near to qualifying, but in football, you never know.
“When you say you will win today or tomorrow, they’re easy words to say, but to win on the field isn’t so easy. We played well today and I hope that we can continue to play like this.
“It wasn’t an easy game against Hong Kong. They tried to close the space in the first half, but the players did well, we tried to create chances and wait for the right moment. We scored the first goal and then things went as we wished.
“I’m happy for the players and I hope we can keep the same level of performance in the next games.”
Mabkhout put the visitors ahead on the half hour when he stabbed home a left-footer from a long pass from Walid Abbas, which took a slight deflection off Wisdom Fofo’s boot and fell in the Al Jazira forward’s path. He doubled the lead 10 minutes into the second half, finding the target on his second attempt after his first shot at the Hong Kong goal was blocked by Lee Chi-ho.
Mabkhout’s treble came from space created by Omar Abdulrahman, and Abbas rounded off the victory with a fourth in injury time.
The three goals matched Mabkhout’s season total in Arabian Gulf League competition.
The margin of victory could have been bigger had Ahmed Khalil been on target with half the scoring opportunities that came his way. Khalil had six attempts from inside the box but could not get any past Yapp Hung Fai, the Hong Kong goalkeeper. “It’s a very disappointing result,” said Kim Pan-gon, the Hong Kong coach.
“Our players did well, they followed our instructions from the beginning but the UAE was a really high-quality attacking team.
“If we had stopped them for the first 45 minutes, it would have been better. But they’re at a different level. I appreciate what the players did and they kept fighting.
“But we still have a chance. We have three games left and we are aiming to get four points in our next three games. We need to get one point from our games before we go to Vietnam.”
apassela@thenational.ae
Report card
UAE created several chances and scored from half of them. 8/10
Hong Kong adopted a defensive strategy at the beginning but having conceded a first-half goal they had to open up. 3/10
Man of the match: Ali Mabkhout’s hat trick took his tally to nine goals in five games
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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Quick%20facts
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ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
Poacher
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Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
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
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
Company%20Profile
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
