Bert van Marwijk says his new-look UAE are on the right track after they brushed aside Indonesia on Thursday to seal a second successive victory in World Cup qualification.
The national team, who opened their Group G account last month with a 2-1 win against Malaysia, ran out easy winners at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, with debut goals for Khalil Ibrahim and Tariq Ahmed either side of Ali Mabkhout’s second-half hat-trick. With the treble, the striker climbed to 54 international goals to become his country’s all-time leading scorer.
For Van Marwijk, the victory maintained his 100 per cent with the UAE, since it followed their comeback triumph in Kuala Lumpur four weeks previously. His side travelled to Thailand immediately after Thursday's match, where they face the southeast Asians on Tuesday.
"I think we have almost 50 per cent of a new team, with very young players,” said Van Marwijk, whose side scored four of their goals in the second half. “This is the second game in the qualification and when I now see the performance of this team, I can be satisfied.
“I think we played a good game. The players showed a lot of discipline on the pitch; we didn’t have a yellow card either. We had full control of the game, the only thing from the first half was the last pass. We were not stable and secure enough with the through-ball.
“In the second half, it was much better. We scored four goals. I can be satisfied and very happy.”
Appointed in March, Van Marwijk chose the same starting line-up as against Malaysia, with four players – Ali Saleh, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas and Jassim Yaqoub – aged 23 and under. In Kuala Lumpur, four of the XI made their competitive debut.
“Young players can become better players when they train,” Van Marwijk said. “So that is always the doubt of a coach. On one side you want to give the young players a stage to perform at this level. On the other side, you also want to win.”
Meanwhile, Indonesia manager Simon McMenemy, whose side have now lost all three qualifiers, said: “We have to tip our cap to a very good team. They are not just a good team, they are a very well-conditioned team. Similar things have happened for three games in a row.
“It is a difficult situation. But in terms of the effort the players put into the game, every player gave everything he had in the tank – and probably a bit more.
“When you see your players give 100 per cent, you can’t complain. Mistakes do happen, especially when you are tired and fatigued from a long season.”
