UAE’s hearts were broken after a controversial, 107th-minute penalty brought their World Cup qualifying hopes crashing to an end in Iraq.
After an agonising ruling of handball against Yahia Nader deep into stoppage time at the end of a pulsating game at the Basra International Stadium, the home team were awarded a spot kick.
With the weight of his country’s expectations on his shoulders, Ali Al Ammari courageously stepped up to send Iraq a step closer to the finals for the first time since 1986.
The UAE’s wait for a second appearance will continue into a fourth decade, after the 3-2 aggregate defeat finally ended their chances to make it to the main event in North America next summer.
The national team could scarcely have done more after a plucky display on foreign soil. Cosmin Olaroiu, their coach, had shuffled his pack for the trip to Basra after the first leg ended all square.
Out went Harib Abdallah, Sultan Adil, and Abdullah Ramadan, and in came Kouame Autonne, Bruno De Oliveira and Caio Lucas.
As well as an attempt to re-energise a side who had wilted as the start of an emotional game five nights earlier, it was a bid to arrest a glaring issue from the home leg.
The UAE backline struggled badly to deal with long balls, crosses, and set pieces in Abu Dhabi. If they did not find a solution, they would stand no chance in the away leg.
Autonne had been pilloried for his lax displays in Doha last month, when UAE missed their chance of direct qualification against Qatar, and lost his place in the XI as a result for the first game against Iraq.
But his strength and aerial ability were conspicuously missing from the side when he was not there. Olaroiu brought him back in to add presence alongside Lucas Pimenta in the centre of defence.
It meant shifting the bulk of Ala Zhir out to right back from the central role he had in the first game, and so moving Marcus Meloni into the midfield screen alongside Yahia Nader.
Even though there were 60,000 Iraqis in the stands, as opposed to 30,000 Emiratis as there had been on Thursday, the UAE settled far more quickly this time around.
They were more composed from the start than they had been in the opener, in which Olaroiu acknowledged they had fallen victim to the “stress” of the occasion.
Playing away, they looked transformed, and all the tension was shifted on to Iraq. The UAE went closest early on when De Oliveira pressed Akam Hashem, the Iraq centre back, into a mistake and the UAE forward’s block just went wide of the post.
The away side grew increasingly assured as the first half wore on, and began to threaten via raids down the left flank by Ruben Canedo, the Al Wahda full back.
Zhir, on the other side, also found space to maraud into. For all their industry, the sides went into the break on level terms. At that stage, the UAE had had 60 per cent of possession, and six shots, compared to just one by the hosts.
When the opener came, seven minutes after the restart, it owed much to a succession of fortunate breaks – but the UAE had definitely earned it.
Somehow, the centre of the field parted for Yahia Nader to break, as Iraqi players slipped, or ran in opposite directions.
The Al Ain schemer glided through the gap open to him and – typically for him – time his through ball perfectly. Lucas’s first-time finish was decisive.
Stunned to be behind, Iraq pleaded for a VAR review. Quite what for, it wasn’t clear, and none was forthcoming.
As the hosts struggled to come to terms with it all, the UAE rampaged forward immediately, and Nicolas Gimenez crashed a shot from the edge of the box against the crossbar.
The UAE would have fully merited a second. But once it was passed up, the pressure was transferred on to them.
Facing oblivion, Iraq were suddenly roused, and they poured forward with purpose. It did not take long for them to draw back level.
Again, it was the UAE’s chronic issue at defensive set pieces which was the problem.
Zhir gave away a free-kick on the Iraq left wing. It was pumped into the box, where Mohanad Ali met a header which made its way into the net via a deflection off Nader.
It was wild thereafter, as both sides grew increasingly desperate. With eight minutes left, Mohanad had the chance to win it for the hosts, but his heavy touch allowed Khalid Essa, the UAE goalkeeper, enough room to block.
The national team went straight up the other end and thought they had won it themselves, when Caio Lucas dinked a dexterous, angled finish into the net. It was ruled out for offside.
It felt seminal. And so it proved, as after the allotted stoppage time had elapsed, Iraq won the penalty which ultimately saw them through to a six-team inter-confederation play-off in Mexico in March. For UAE, there was nothing left.
