The National's Sport cover for the Wednesday, September 9 issue, featuring Omar Abdulrahman and the UAE in their 2018 World Cup qualifying draw with Palestine in the West Bank.
It was a rare competitive match in Palestinian territories, and it made for a raucous atmosphere even without a goal to highlight proceedings.
John McAuley writes of the match:
“Mahdi Ali stopped to answer questions and smiled, content enough with the point his side had earned in Palestine.
“A goalless draw at the raucous Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium on Tuesday had arrived only days after the 10-0 mauling of Malaysia, but the UAE coach appeared not too perplexed, happy instead that his side emerged undefeated from their 2018 World Cup qualifying double-header.
“With four points from a possible six, the UAE are well-placed ahead of next month’s crucial Group A clash in Saudi Arabia. As it stands, those two sides occupy the top two berths in the group, set to scrap it out for its one automatic qualifying spot. The impasse in Palestine could yet prove positive.”
Said UAE coach Mahdi Ali:
“In general, the point does not satisfy us. We were hoping to win, but we did our best and we have to be happy with that. Hopefully we can make it up in the next match.”
And Ali Khaled writes that while a draw might not suffice on the surface, it leaves the UAE well-positioned nonetheless:
“What the draw does do is keep Palestine three points adrift and, for now, at arm’s length in the World Cup qualification campaign. With Palestine having to play away in Abu Dhabi on March 24 in the group’s penultimate matchday, the UAE will be confident that a victory then would leave them with a much better chance of winning the group outright.
“As the team heads back home from an emotionally and physically draining trip, they will reflect that a draw in Jerusalem was a fine result after all.”
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