Cosmin Olaroiu has warned UAE’s players to be prepared for a tough battle as they fight for World Cup qualification survival in Basra on Tuesday night.
The national team drew the first leg of their play-off against Iraq in Abu Dhabi on Thursday night.
The winners of the tie will advance to the final qualifying play-off in Mexico in March, where the last places at the finals in North America next summer will be decided.
The second leg of the final phase of Asian qualifying is scheduled for the 65,000-capacity Basra International Stadium next week.
Graham Arnold, the Iraq coach, warned that Basra has the most passionate football supporters, and has asked for the home fans to be the side’s “12th man” for the decisive fixture.
Olaroiu, the UAE coach, said his players had escaped from a “terrible game” caused by “a lot of stress and emotions” in the 1-1 draw in Abu Dhabi.
He said the 32,000 crowd at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in the capital was the best he had seen for a UAE match and thanked the supporters for their help in getting their side back into the tie.
The home players were betraying nerves as they fell behind in the 10th minute to a goal by Ali Al Hamadi after they failed to clear a free kick.
The UAE levelled through Luan Pereira eight minutes later but the fact Khalid Essa, their goalkeeper, was named player of the match said much about the run of play. Olaroiu said his players need to prove they are able to fight when the crowd are against them in the away leg.
“We have to be ready for the storm,” Olaroiu said. “They [Iraq] played against Saudi [Arabia at a packed stadium in Jeddah] in the last game, and they played against us here with fantastic supporters.
“We have to do the same thing there. We have to believe, and we have to go on. We cannot step back. It's part of our job. We cannot play only home games. We have to play away games.
“We have to be able to play in front of a lot of supporters with pressure, with everything. This will make us, game by game, stronger and stronger.”
Olaroiu urged his players to “battle” and “be brave”, in particular when it comes to combating the physicality of the Iraq side.
The visitors asserted dominance in Abu Dhabi via strength at set pieces, as well as via direct balls to their strikers.
Although he accepted there is no easy fix to the issue, Olaroiu wants his players to prove themselves in Basra.
“This was the first half, now we have to go there to show that we are able to perform in difficult conditions,” Olaroiu said.
“This is what we have to do and we have to believe. We have to try to perform to the maximum we can.
“I know they are a very good team. They have a lot of experienced players playing in Europe. You can see the confidence in the way they play.
“This is football. In this game, we need to show how strong we are. Not in the friendly games we play, or in the domestic league
“This is like a final. This is the game that you prove yourself. I was telling them before the game, you don't have to prove anything to anyone.
“You have to prove to yourself that you are able to perform at the best level in this kind of game. The most important thing that they want to see is the impact they have during the game for the team.”
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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New schools in Dubai
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Price: From Dh1,700,000
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
