UAE U23s focus efforts on Jordan in next obstacle on Olympic path

Ali Khaled previews UAE's Sunday night fixture against Jordan at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Doha where Olympic qualification is at stake.

UAE Under 23 players celebrate the own goal against Australia in their opening 1-0 win on Thursday at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Doha. Francois Nel / Getty Images / January 16, 2016

Having defeated Australia in their opening match, the UAE take on Jordan in the Group D top-of-the-table clash at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Doha on Sunday night with their coach Abdullah Misfir cautious of any notion the job is even half done.

After his team’s 1-0 win over Australia in their opening match, the UAE now find themselves in second place behind Jordan, who had beaten Vietnam 3-1 earlier on Thursday.

Another victory could be enough to clinch qualification for the knockout stages if Australia and Vietnam draw Sunday’s other match.

But Misfir said: “Nothing has been decided, no team is guaranteed anything yet.

“We still have to face Jordan and Vietnam, and we are looking to come out with a positive result against Jordan, be it a win or a draw, no less. I’ve told the players to forget the Australia match and that we have to be ready for the next match.

“Jordan achieved a good result by beating Vietnam and they will be a tough opponent.”

Misfir lauded his players for carrying out his tactics on Thursday, by containing the Australians in the first half and then forcing them onto the back foot in the second, with captain and man of the match Abdullah Ali impressing.

Misfir was pleased with how successful his substitutions had been in setting up the victory.

“The introduction of Walid Anbar and Ahmed Al Attas changed the match, “ he said.

“It was a positive change and in keeping with our strategy in the second half and our thinking of getting all three points, and these players increased our attacking strength.”

The performance of Al Jazira forward Al Attas, who has already played for the senior team, could well earn him a starting spot up front against Jordan now.

Meanwhile Yousef Al Serkal, UAE Football Association President, expressed his delight with what he thought was a deserved win against Australia.

“The most important thing was getting our first three points in the competition, and the players performed tactically and with a lot of focus, closing down all avenues that our opponent could have exploited.”

The top three sides in the tournament will qualify to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the summer, and Al Serkal said that remains the main focus for the team as they look to qualify for the second successive time after reaching London 2012.

“The real celebration will come if we qualify to the Olympics so we have to focus all our efforts on the next challenge against Jordan and then the last group match against Vietnam.”

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