Mahdi Ali irked by UAE’s 4-0 loss and no support at home

Mahdi Ali, the UAE coach, slammed the scheduling of the Arabian Gulf League and the lack of support from home fans after his team suffered the worst defeat in nearly three years under his care, writes Amith Passela.

Uzbekistan’s Tursunov Sanjar, left, gets the ball past Mahmoud Khamis Saeed Al Hammadi of the UAE during their international friendly at Mohammed bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Ravindranath K / The NationalShow less

UAE 0 Uzbekistan 4

Uzbekistan Kapadze 31', Gharib o/g 45+2', Djeparov 68', Alimov 90+3'

Man of the match Odil Akhmedov (Uzbekistan)

ABU DHABI // Mahdi Ali, the UAE coach, slammed the scheduling of the Arabian Gulf League and the lack of support from home fans after his team suffered the worst defeat in nearly three years under his care.

Uzbekistan had little trouble in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, inflicting the UAE’s first home defeat and the heaviest loss in Mahdi Ali’s tenure.

“The players are under pressure from their clubs because the league resumes in three days and they are thinking of those matches than the national team’s friendly,” the Emirati said. “It is also shameful the national team doesn’t have any home support from the fans for the home games. When we arrive at the stadium, we find a few fans and that gives the feeling that we are in a strange country.

“There is no support from our own fans, so how will the players be motivated? The other day, the Australians had more support for them than us in the stadium. I wish not to play any games at home but outside the country. It is really disappointing.”

The UAE manager made five changes to the lineup that finished in a scoreless draw against Australia four days earlier. It was uncharacteristic of him to make so many changes in an international friendly.

“The entire team was not good today,” he said when asked about his personnel combinations.

“It wasn’t only the substitutes. All of them under-performed. Of course we had many players sitting out from this game for various reasons, but we made too many mistakes in this game.

“However, losing a game is also good, because it will give the players a wake-up shot. We will try to work on the mistakes, because after all, it was a friendly game and we need to provide all the players in the squad an opportunity to play.”

The UAE will start their preparation for the Gulf Cup on October 29, and they will play friendlies on November 2 and 6 before their first game against Oman on November 14.

“This is the time frame I have been given and we’ll have to adapt to this timetable and prepare for the title defence of the Gulf Cup,” he said.

It was a morale-boosting win for Uzbekistan, who came into the game having lost to Qatar 3-0 in Doha on October 6, followed by a scoreless draw against Bahrain in Dubai four days ago. Timur Kapadze put the visitors ahead and the UAE’s Mohammed Ahmed Gharib turned one into his own net for a 2-0 score at half time.

Server Djeparov added the third and substitute Navruz Alimov completed the rout with a 30-yard rocket as the Central Asians registered their first win in three road games played over eight days.

Kapadze headed a right cross from Shukhrat Mukhamadeiv to the far corner of the net to give the visitors the lead just past the half hour.

They doubled the lead in added time of the first half when Sanjar Tursunov’s effort from the right side of the box was turned into his own goal by Gharib, the UAE defender.

It could have been more if not for the alert play of UAE goalkeeper, Khaled Essa, who did well to block a powerful shot from Djeparov from inside the area and punched away another from Vohid Shodiev.

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