The UAE’s hopes of winning a 2015 Fifa Under 20 World Cup ticket were dashed by Myanmar, after the Emiratis were sent crashing out of the Asian U19 Championship quarter-finals 1-0 on Friday.
Than Paing, the Myanmar forward, fired the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute to lead his country to the last-four stage in the continental championship and to their first U20 World Cup appearance. That latter tournament will be played in New Zealand from May 20 to June 20 next year.
The UAE went into the knockout round having topped Group B by goal difference over Uzbekistan and Australia after all three teams had ended on five points each.
Myanmar, too, scraped through on a better goal record over Yemen as the second team in Group A behind Thailand.
The hosts’ German coach, Gerd Zeise, described the match as the “biggest in a century” for Myanmar, whose senior side is ranked 143rd in the world, compared to the UAE’s 73rd.
apassela@thenational.ae
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