KUALA LUMPUR // Walid Abbas expects Saudi Arabia to rival the UAE for top spot in their 2018 World Cup qualifying group, although he backed his side to improve after a scrappy opening victory against East Timor.
Abbas captained the UAE in Tuesday’s nervy 1-0 win in Malaysia, a match settled by Omar Abdulrahman’s fine strike 10 minutes from time. It was a more difficult test than many anticipated, especially since East Timor are ranked 146th in the world — 73 places below the UAE.
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However, the triumph moved Mahdi Ali’s men level on three points in Group A with Saudi Arabia and Palestine. The Saudis kick-started their account last week with a narrow 3-2 victory against their fellow west Asians, while the Palestinians responded on Tuesday by defeating Malaysia 6-0 in Kuala Lumpur. They now top the standings on goal difference, although they have played a game more.
Abbas believes, though, that Saudi Arabia — runners-up in November’s Gulf Cup — still represent their greatest threat.
“Of course, I think the group will be between us and Saudi Arabia, because they are also a very big team,” he said. “East Timor was our first game and we’re just happy we started with three points. That was so important.
“We expected the match to be hard because we’re exhausted after the long UAE season and even the weather was not that good despite us playing at 4pm. But we’re very happy to get the victory and we hope in the future we’ll be better. These games are more about the points than how we played.”
Asked about Abdulrahman’s late intervention, Abbas added: “Omar can change the result of any game. He helped the team and has a strong future. He’s still young but is a very good player. I think he’ll be one of the best in Asia.”
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