UAE target Gulf Cup semis spot with victory over Qatar

A place in 2019 Gulf Cup semi-finals will be at stake when UAE face hosts Qatar in their final Group A match at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Monday.

It will be a rematch of their meeting in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semi-final which Qatar won 4-0 before going on to clinch the title.

Both are on three points heading into Monday’s match, with Qatar only needing a draw to advance to the last four on goal difference.

UAE head coach Bert van Marwijk praised Qatar, describing them as “the best team” in the tournament.

“They started this project a long time ago and the players have been playing together for years.

“On the contrary, our project started few months ago and I believe that there is good development in our team and our players will have a great future,” said van Marwijk, who saw his side beat Yemen 3-0 before falling 2-0 to Iraq.

The 67-year-old Dutch coach said UAE have a chance of winning against Qatar if they play the same way they did in the second half against Iraq.

“Qatar may be the best team but we still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals,” he said.

“The performance that we had in the second half against Iraq is a very good example of how we should start the match against Qatar.”

A draw, however, is not what Qatar will be targettng, said head coach Felix Sanchez.

“Usually when you play a match and you think of a draw, you might get surprised and lose,” said Sanchez. “Therefore, we will only play to win.

“The match against UAE will be like a final match for us,” added the Spanish coach. “It will be a difficult match but we are confident of moving into the semi-finals.”

Qatar opened their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Iraq before bouncing back with a 6-0 win over Yemen.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia bounced back from their opening defeat against Kuwait to defeat Bahrain 2-0 as the race for Group B’s semi-final spots will be decided on Monday.

Saudi Arabia started on the front foot and came close just three minutes in when Salem Al Dawsari’s cross from the left was headed just wide by Salman Al Faraj.

Herve Renard’s men thought that they had opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Mohammed Abdu finished with a first time shot from close range but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Bahrain started to get into the match gradually and tried their luck in the 26th minute when Thiago Augusto had a powerful shot from outside the area parried by Fawaz Al Qarni for a corner.

Saudi Arabia took the lead three minutes later when Nawaf Al Abid played a quick pass to Abdulla Al Hamdan, who fired a powerful left-foot shot past Bahrain goalkeeper Hamad Al Doseri.

Saudi Arabia continued to be the better side in the second period and after Al Dawsari was denied by the right post in the 52nd minute, Mohammed Abdu doubled the advantage by heading home a corner from Nawaf Al Abid six minutes later.

Meanwhile, Oman’s striker Saeed Al-Ruzaiqi said that the players will not be affected by the entry of Saudi Arabia with the chances of winning and drawing alike.

It is noteworthy that Ruzaiki scored two goals against the Saudi team in the Gulf 23 in Kuwait that led his country then to the golden box.


Gulf Cup fixtures

On Monday: Group A: Qatar vs UAE (6:30pm UAE time)
Yemen vs Iraq ((6:30pm UAE time)

Group B

Kuwait vs Bahrain (9pm UAE time)
Oman vs Saudi Arabia (9pm UAE time)