Saudi Arabia 3 UAE 2
Saudi Arabia Al Shamrani 19', Al Abid 22', Al Dawsari 86'
UAE Khalil 53', 79'
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
The UAE’s defence of their Gulf Cup crown was brought to an end on Sunday night with hosts Saudi Arabia hitting a late winner to make the final with a 3-2 victory.
The UAE had to dig deep to produce a stirring fight back from two goals down and had to do it without star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman.
After only 21 minutes the Saudis led 2-0 and had the defending champions in trouble when things became even grimmer for the UAE as, six minutes after conceding a second goal, the Emiratis saw Omar Abdulrahman limp off the field with an injury received in a rugged tackle.
Photo gallery: UAE go down fighting to Saudi Arabia in Gulf Cup of Nations semi-finals
The UAE staged a great second-half fightback, with Ahmed Khalil scoring twice, to return the match to level pegging, but a stunning piledriver from Salem Al Dawsari four minutes from time broke the hearts of the Emirati fans.
The Saudis got off to a blistering start, unsettling the Emiratis with their speed and often bruising tactics. In the first 30 minutes, the hosts had committed 10 fouls to the UAE’s one.
Omar Abdulrahman, as was expected, received particular attention from them and he was roughed up enough to leave the pitch, teary-eyed, in the 26th minute. He was replaced by Ismail Al Hammadi.
The Al Ain star was later taken to hospital to check on what looked like another ankle injury.
The Saudis were already 2-0 up by that time, feasting on some generous defending by the UAE, especially by Abdulaziz Sanqour.
A casual clearance by the Al Ahli right-back started the move that led to the opening goal in the 19th minute.
Following Sanqour’s error, the ball came to Saeed Al Mowalad and the Saudi hit a cross-come-shot that split the defence.
Nasser Al Shamrani, the Asian player of the year, sped past the leaden-footed Sanqour and Mohammed Ahmed to tap home.
Three minutes later, Sanqour’s mistake cost UAE again.
The ball was at his feet following another Saudi attack, but he was too slow to clear.
Al Shamrani took advantage of that, stealing in before the UAE defender to prod the ball towards Nawaf Al Abid, who blasted into the net. Two goals down and missing their creative maestro, the UAE looked out for the count, but the defending champions refused to go out without a fight.
Khalil, without a goal in this tournament, led their charge, rising high over the Saudi defenders to nod in Amer Abdulrahman’s delivery in the 53rd minute to make it 2-1.
Khalil then muscled his way through the Saudi defence to level the scores with a powerful low shot in the 79th minute following a pass by substitute Ismail Matar, who later had a great opportunity to put the UAE ahead in the 83rd minute, but shot at the Saudi keeper.
The UAE had all the momentum, but three minutes later they were hit with a sucker punch.
Al Dawsari cut in from the right, jinked past two challenges and slammed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. It was a goal worthy of winning the match and the UAE were not able to produce another comeback.
Mahdi Ali, the UAE coach, would not blame Omar Abdulrahman’s early exit for defeat.
“We played well despite Omar’s exit,” he said. “We didn’t deserve to lose but we say congratulations to Saudi. Omar is very important but we played well in the second half anyway.”
He also took responsibility for the defensive lapses that contributed to defeat.
“The were were mistakes which lead to the defeat and that is my responsibility as the coach, and we hope to fix them in the future ... Today we were unlucky.”
Star performer: Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Criticised for his performance in the earlier matches, Khalil turned up when it mattered the most, scoring twice to haul the UAE back into the match.
Underperformer: Abdulaziz Sanqour (UAE)
The UAE right-back had two lapses of concentration that cost his side dear.
Key moment
Having fought back to level the scores, the UAE were four minutes away from forcing the game into extra time when Salem Al Dawsari produced an inspired goal.
UAE rating 8/10
A bit sloppy at the back early on, the Emiratis showed a big heart as they fought back without star man Omar Abdulrahman.
Saudi rating 8/10
The hosts came out with a plan, not allowing the Emiratis much time on the ball and it worked for them.
Our verdict
Omar Abdulrahman usually hogs the limelight, but the UAE’s stirring fight last night showed they are not a one-man team.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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