Paulo Bento criticises 'bad performance' but says UAE still in running for World Cup qualification

National team were held to a 1-1 draw by North Korea in Al Ain to sit third in six-team Asian qualifying group

UAE manager Paulo Bento must now prepare his side for their next World Cup qualifier, away to Uzbekistan. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Paulo Bento said the UAE are far from out of the race for World Cup qualification, but pointed out they need a big improvement on the display which saw them drop points against North Korea.

The national team were held to a 1-1 draw by their unheralded guests in Al Ain on Thursday night.

They had taken the lead through Yahya Al Ghassini, but the away side were fully deserving of their equaliser, which arrived via Jong Il-gwan with time ticking away.

North Korea had already seen a Han Kwang-song penalty saved by Khalid Essa, the UAE's captain-goalkeeper, and had the majority of the best glimpses of goal.

The result leaves the UAE third in the six-team group after four matches, level on four points with fourth-placed Qatar and three behind Iran and Uzbekistan, who they face in Tashkent on Tuesday.

Although there are still seven games remaining, a home draw to a side ranked 42 places below them in the Fifa standings feels like an opportunity lost.

UAE's Yahya Al Ghassani scores in the World Cup qualifier against North Korea at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Thursday, October 10, 2024. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE's Caio Canedo pleads for a foul against North Korea at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. North Korea scored a late equaliser to share the points on Thursday

Ali Salmeen of UAE battles for the ball with Kwang Song Han of North Korea

UAE's Kouame Autonne jumps for a header in Al Ain

UAE fans at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium

UAE manager Paulo Bento at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium

UAE's Harib Abdalla vies for the ball with Kuk-Bom Kim of North Korea

Bento, though, is focused on improving the side’s output on the field, rather than the points tally.

“It is a race,” the UAE manager said of the pursuit of one of the two direct qualification berths from the pool.

“Now we have played three games and have four points. For me the question is to try to fight for victories in every game, even if we know that with some opponents that will be more difficult than with other ones.

“I don’t know what people think, and it’s not important. If we won this game and drew in Qatar, it would be four points in the same way.

“For me, what is most important is to analyse each game. Now we have to analyse this one. This one was not good.”

The perceived disparity between the two sides at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium was reflected by the fact the UAE started the game ranked 69 in the Fifa standings, with North Korea down at 111.

Bento pointed out that Qatar’s ranking meant nothing to them when the UAE beat them 3-1 in Doha last month in the opening game of this round of Asian qualifying. The double-Asian champions had been a record high of 34 in June.

“I don’t have those sorts of things in consideration because at the end [the rankings] mean almost nothing,” Bento said.

“What is correct is to face the opponents in the game and try to follow the strategy, and to play and compete as well as possible, regardless of the opponent.

“Today, we didn’t do that. It is quite simple. It is not a question of respect for the opponent. We should have respect for them, but today we didn’t deserve to win.

“In my opinion, the performance was bad, which is why we didn’t win the game.”

North Korea players celebrate Jong Il-gwan's goal. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The UAE were on the back foot from the start against a high-energy North Korea side. The national team’s intensity was just the opposite, not helped by the lukewarm atmosphere at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

Only 8,536 supporters were present, and, try as they did, their noise was lost as they struggled to rouse a sluggish home team.

Bento said “poor individual performances” and a lack of energy added up to a disappointing display.

“We didn’t play well, we didn’t play with the right rhythm and energy from the beginning of the game, and that made the work of the opponent a little bit easier,” he said.

“There were a lot of mistakes. In terms of the strategy, we didn’t do what we talked about and what we practiced. When these kinds of things happen, it is more difficult to reach the goal and get a good result.

“Even though we had an advantage in the score, we were not able to control the game defensively.”