DOHA // With their quarterfinal hopes hanging by a thread, Srecko Katanec has urged his UAE team to keep faith and go out with a positive intent against Iran tomorrow.
The UAE have one point from their first two games following a goalless draw against North Korea and a 0-1 defeat to Iraq. To grab one of the two quarterfinal berths from the group, the UAE will have to defeat Iran and hope that North Korea beat Iraq by a smaller margin.
"We know what we need to do - we have to win and hope North Korea beat Iraq," Katanec said. "There is no pressure. We are in the strongest group of this tournament, so we were not favourites before and we are not favourites even now.
"What I want, like I said before the tournament, is to play nice football and show the people that UAE have a good team that can play good football. We have shown this and for the next game, I hope we play even better and win the match.
"I hope my players will show a lot of energy and play a good game. Hopefully we will win and hopefully North Korea will also win, but with less goal/s.
"It's complicated, but we must believe in ourselves. And we believe because we have nothing to lose."
arizvi@thenational.ae
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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