The UAE's hopes of making it to the World Cup all but faded after a 4-1 defeat to South Korea in Seoul today. They have now played three matches without mustering a point and only a miracle will see them travel to South Africa in 2010. Coach Dominique Bathenay won't throw in the towel though, and insists the UAE are still in with an outside chance with five games remaining.
Their next game is at home to Iran on Nov 19 but on this showing they must improve leaps and bounds to have a chance of taking even a point. However, Bathenay said: "Nothing is won or lost until we are really out of the competition. We still have 15 points to play for, and a win against Iran next month can revive our hopes. It is very, very hard for us having lost all the matches so far but mathematically we are still not out of the reckoning.
"The first-round matches have been very close and no team has got a significant lead. And with a third-place play-off, there is every reason for us to believe we haven't seen the last of the qualifiers." Those were brave words from the coach, who was leading them in his first competitive game after Bruno Metsu quit to become the head coach of Qatar. South Korea scored twice within five minutes to open a two-goal lead at the break.
Ismail al Hammadi pulled one back from a bad defensive blunder by Cho Yong Hyung but the Koreans raised the bar again and scored twice to complete the win. Bathenay added: "We made mistakes at the back and allowed Korea to score twice in quick succession. That was huge setback. We also relaxed towards the end and as a result the Koreans scored again." Lee Keun Ho scored from a beautifully coordinated move in the 20th minute and the captain Park Ji Sung added the second five minutes later after the UAE's captain Basheer Saeed, for the second time, failed to make a clearance from inside the area.
Lee restored Korea's two-goal lead with his second of the match ten minutes from time and Kwak Tae Hee completed the fine victory with a neat header, unmarked on the far post, with two minutes left. The Koreans dominated much of the game and missed several scoring opportunities, particularly in the second half. Ki Sung Yueng's effort crashed against the crossbar and Majed Naser palmed off a free kick from the edge by substitute Kim Hyeung Bum on the hour.
Amir Mubarak cleared Kim Dong Jin's header from the ensuing corner before the UAE pulled one back to briefly revive their hopes. The Koreans were the superior side from the onset. They were always in control and worthy winners as they secured a first victory from two games in Group Two. @Email:apassela@thenational.ae
