The UAE’s hopes of winning Group C and avoiding a final-eight match-up with holders Japan evaporated in the 90th minute of their match with Iran on Monday when the Iranian substitute Reza Ghoochannejhad scored on a short header to beat the Emiratis 1-0 in the AFC Asian Cup.
The defeat does not end the UAE’s stay in Australia. As runners-up in their group, they meet the Group D champions, probably Japan, in Sydney on Friday.
Iran will meet the Group D runner-up, likely Iraq, in Canberra on Friday.
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“We tried to win, UAE tried to win,” said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz. “I need to rest; the UAE gave us too much work.”
UAE coach Mahdi Ali’s strategy of having his technically more nimble side hold the ball through short passes looked minutes from yielding a draw that would give the Emiratis the top of the table via a superior goal difference when Ahmed Khalil failed to close down Iran’s Adranik Teymourian, who collected a weak clearance on the edge of the box.
The midfielder’s scuffed ball towards goal was nodded into the right corner by Ghoochannejhad, a 72nd-minute replacement, past the helpless Majed Naser.
It was a bitter defeat for the UAE, who have still not beaten Iran in an official competition. Iran have eight victories and three draws against their Gulf neighbours in matches going back to 1984.
The Emiratis managed only one shot on goal, by Ali Mabkhout in the 80th minute that was easily pushed by Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi.
Iran have not conceded in three matches.
They had far less possession, but their forays into the attacking end were considerably more dangerous, and they ended with 10 corner kicks, to the UAE’s four. The 10th corner directly preceded the only goal.
The first half was much as could be expected. The UAE busily knocked around the ball but had trouble penetrating the 10-man Iran defensive thicket and often were hacked down when they got too close.
One or two moments of vague danger were generated, notably in the 42nd minute when Mabkhout hit a diagonal ball through the box meant for Khalil, but his fellow striker could not reach it.
The other two interesting moments were free kicks on the edge of the box, both taken by Khalil and each knocked into the defensive wall.
A telling statistic around the 40-minute mark: the UAE had made 295 passes, Iran 83.
In those rare moments when Iran held the ball, the whole team charged into the attacking half and Iran seemed the more dangerous.
Iran had two good chances in the first 45 minutes, the first a header put directly at Naser, who caught it, and the second a cross that wound up at the feet of Sardar Azmoun, who headed it towards goal, only to see if bounce off the chest of Muhaned Salem.
The half ended with Mahdi Ali in the middle of the pitch remonstrating with the Japanese referee and presumably asking for the game to be called a bit tighter, and more of Iran’s barging into UAE players called as fouls.
Three cautions were shown in the first 45 minutes, two to Iran. One was shown in the second half, to Iran.
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