The UAE Under 23 team “did their best”, coach Ali Ibrahim said after North Korea ended the nation’s hopes of a second Asian Games football medal.
Jong Il-gwan scored on a low shot from outside the area, in added time, after substitute So Hyon-uk headed the ball into his path, giving North Korea a 1-0 victory today and a place in the semi-finals.
“We did well until that time,” Ibrahim said after the UAE exit from the quarter-finals in Incheon.
“The players lost concentration at a crucial time in the match. They thought they had done enough to take the game to extra time. But I am not blaming them because they did what they were expected to do until then.”
The North Koreans were the more creative and deserving side. They dominated the game by holding a major share of the possession and territorial advantage, creating several scoring chances.
The UAE, silver medallists in China four years ago, played a defensive strategy. It nearly worked for them as they did well to keep the rampaging North Koreans at bay.
Ibrahim defended their game plan, saying they were forced to adapt that strategy because North Korea had possession for most of the game.
“We can attack only when we have the ball with us and we did whenever the opportunity came our way,” the Emirati said.
“Having said that, we must give credit to the winners for the way they played. They never eased on the pedal at any stage in the game. We can say we were beaten by a better team on the day.”
The UAE had only one day to prepare for the match after their 3-1 victory over Vietnam on Friday in the round of 16.
“I am not complaining, but it left hardly any time for the players to recover,” Ibrahim said. “We had a few players who got knocks in that game, then a suspension and one player ruled out for injury.”
Mohammed Surour was suspended from the game for butting a Vietnamese player and Salim Ali ruled out from an injury he sustained against Jordan in the group stage.
Saeed Al Kathiri, the captain and one of the three overage players allowed in the squad, had little time to recover from an injury in the last game.
The UAE’s best chance of breaking the deadlock was in the 66th minute when Al Kathiri, who scored four goals in the tournament, timed his run well to meet a cross from Waleed Al Mazrouei but missed off the near post.
North Korea maintained an attacking mindset throughout. They came close to scoring twice in the first half. Ahmed Shambih, the UAE goalkeeper, blocked a close range shot from Sim Hyon-jin and Saeed Al Meqbaali did well to clear the ball from the line of a short tap from Jang Kuk-chol.
apassela@thenational.ae
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