The UAE national team make the cover of The National Sport on Thursday, September 1, 2016 ahead of Thursday night's 2018 Asian World Cup qualifier against Japan in Saitama.
Our reporter John McAuley is in Japan covering the UAE's opening match of Group B at Saitama Stadium, a match Mahdi Ali said was "simply a game for us and we'll do our best, regardless of what happened in the past," a reference to the Emirates' penalty shoot-out victory over the same opponents in last year's Asian Cup quarter-final.
McAuley also spoke to Asian Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil, scorer of 11 goals in the second round of Asian qualifying, who said that those who wish to qualify for the World Cup “have to fight to the last breath”.
You can check out all our coverage ahead of the match by visiting our dedicated page on the UAE's road to Russia 2018.
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