The UAE dropped two precious points in their bid to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/09/06/what-do-the-uae-need-to-do-to-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-in-usa-mexico-and-canada/" target="_blank">qualify for the 2026 World Cup </a>as they were held by North Korea in Al Ain on Thursday night. The national team initially held the lead through a goal by second-half substitute Yahya Al Ghassani. The away side then claimed a 1-1 draw via a late header by Jong Il-gwan. If there was an assumption <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/10/09/uae-wont-let-the-intensity-drop-in-world-cup-qualifier-against-north-korea/" target="_blank">ahead of the game </a>that the home team just had to turn up to win, it was reflected in the crowd. A month ago, the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium had been pulsating in a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/09/10/uae-fall-to-narrow-defeat-against-iran-in-world-cup-qualifier/" target="_blank">narrow loss to Iran</a>. This time around, only 8,536 supporters were there. The earnest chants of those who did turn up echoed around the vast empty gaps in the 25,000-seater ground. It might have been someway short of a carnival atmosphere, but this was still a vital fixture in the UAE’s bid for one of the two qualifying berths available from this six-team group stage. Ahead of the game, Paulo Bento, the home coach, had warned against easing off from the standards they set last month, when going up against a side ranked 42 places beneath them in the Fifa standings. “In the two previous games maybe it was easy to be focused and concentrated because it was against Qatar and Iran,” Bento said. “Now we are playing against a team where, for the most part, people think we are going to win easily. Football is not like that.” Although intel was scarce on the visitors, they clearly came to the UAE with a purpose. North Korea had arrived eight days ahead of the game in order to acclimatise. Many of the UAE players, by contrast, played two big club matches in that time. The home team took a good while to come to terms with the frenzy of North Korea’s pressing. It did not help that they were missing the player who usually sets the pace of their play. Yahia Nader, the Al Ain midfield schemer, cut a frustrated figure ahead of kick off as his hamstring issue kept him out of the matchday squad. Bento demanded high intensity ahead of the game, and the quietness of the ground meant the players could not fail to hear him as he reiterated his message constantly. When Harib Abdallah was flattened midway through the first half by full-back Kim Pom-hyok, the UAE forward was unlucky it had happened right in front of his coach. As Abdallah checked to see if all his teeth were still in working order, Bento brooked no sympathy. Instead, he barked at his forward to get moving. “Let’s go, Harib, let’s go,” Bento shouted. No matter how much hectoring there was, the UAE players struggled to click. On many occasions a passing move was stunted before anything of substance had happened, with Kouame Autonne shouting through the silence, “Wake up.” The spirit of the crowd was lifted just after the hour when Ali Saleh was introduced. The Al Wasl winger is a fan favourite wherever he goes because of his dribbling skills, and hopes soared that maybe he could add a little quality to a game lacking any. The hosts got exactly that straight away – except it was not via Saleh, but from the other substitute who came on just at the same time he did. As attention focused on Saleh on the left wing, Al Ghassani entered largely unnoticed on the other flank. His impact was immediate. Latching on to a ball up the right wing, the Shabab Al Ahli forward raced towards goal and drilled a shot past Kang Ju-hyok. The relief was palpable – and yet scarcely lasted. In the 72nd minute, North Korea were awarded a penalty when Khalid Al Dhanhani was ruled to have fouled Ri Il-song. The Jordanian referee, Adhan Makhadmeh, was invited to check the monitor to see if the foul had occurred inside the box. It seemed so marginal as to be debatable, but Makhadmeh opted to point to the spot anyway. Han Kwang-song, the away side’s best travelled player, took the responsibility. The forward had a career in Italy in the past and was once on the books of Juventus. His effort was poor, though. Khalid Essa, the UAE’s goalkeeper-captain, guessed correctly, and grabbed the ball as he dived to his right. The UAE were riding their luck, and their reprieve did not last. In the 86th minute, Choe Ok-chol worked an opening for a cross from the right. It found Jong unmarked at the back post. It seemed as though the hosts had evaded the danger again, as Essa pawed Jong’s header away. The North Korea players and staff were adamant the ball had crossed the line, though, and the VAR found in their favour as the equaliser was given.