It almost worked.
Mahdi Ali had a cagey and coherent plan for the national team’s top-of-the-group clash with Iran yesterday.
His team – smaller, faster, better on the ball – would pass Iran to death: side to side, up and down, pass and move, pass and move.
The bigger, stronger, less nimble Iranians would descend into exhaustion trying to dispossess the Emiratis and perhaps in the final 30 minutes Omar Abdulrahman could work some magic with Ali Mabkhout or Ahmed Khalil, and the UAE could record their first victory over Iran in an official match.
At the least, as the clock rolled past the 90-minute mark, Mahdi Ali and his side would have a scoreless draw, top spot in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup through goal difference, and a Friday quarter-final match with the Group D runner-up, probably Iraq.
It almost worked.
It was Barcelona-style tiki-taka and nearly as fun to watch, and as statistically astonishing.
The UAE made 592 passes, 515 successfully; Iran made 259 passes, 186 completed.
Also see: pictures from the game
The most startling statistic was that the UAE had nearly 68 per cent possession. Those are numbers one associates with an unequal game, and that is where the plan foundered.
Iran do not really need the ball. They get 10 men in front of it, they let opponents breach one or two levels of defence, but they fully expect you will not get into shooting range.
So it was yesterday. The Emiratis never had a clear look at the goal. They launched 10 shots but none were on target. Iran had 12 shots, four on target, and one that found the back of the net. Like, Mahdi Ali, Iran coach Carlos Quieroz knows his team.
They soak up pressure like no one in this tournament and showed the same talent last summer, at the World Cup in Brazil.
Iran held Nigeria 0-0, and held out Argentina for 90 minutes; only a brilliant individual effort from Lionel Messi produced a winner.
Quieroz liked his side’s chances of a third Asian Cup clean sheet and wrangling a goal, particularly on restarts in the attacking end, where the Emiratis would be at their greatest peril.
Iran got 10 corners; on the 10th they scored. Ashkan Dejagah sent the ball into the goalkeeper’s box and it was partially cleared, landing on the edge of the area.
Khalil went after it, but he was indecisive and perhaps just dead tired, and Iran’s Andranik Teymourian got to it first, scuffing it towards goal and onto the head of Reza Ghoochannejhad, who put it past Majed Naser.
Many of the most interesting match-ups in sport feature conflicting styles. This was one of those. Who could impose their game on the other? For 90 minutes, the answer was “the UAE”.
On Friday, the Emiratis will likely face a Japan team with whom they have much in common: technical proficiency, foot speed, a willingness to attack via multiple passes.
If the UAE can get over the shock of yesterday’s late goal, their tournament need not end.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
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