Van Marwijk remains optimistic despite draw

Head coach Bert Van Marwijk was left to rue his team’s result after UAE opened their AFC Asian qualifiers — Road to Qatar Group A campaign with a draw against Lebanon on Thursday.

Despite playing at home, creating many scoring chances and dominating throughout the 90 minutes, UAE had to share the spoils with Lebanon after a 0-0 draw at the Zabeel Stadium.

The result means UAE are tied on one point with Iraq, South Korea and Lebanon with Iran the early leaders after defeating Syria 1-0.

A goal from captain-for-the-night Alireza Jahanbakhsh proved decisive as Iran pipped Syria.

Jahanbakhsh broke the deadlock with a deflected strike in the 56th minute, with three points in Group A Team Melli’s reward for breaking down Nizar Mahrous’ side on a night where clear-cut chances were few and far between.

The Iranians will have the chance to make it two wins from two when they face Iraq in Doha on Tuesday, while Syria will have the opportunity to bounce back against the UAE in Amman.

Van Marwijk said UAE applied the same tactics that had worked well for them in June’s second round of the Asian Qualifiers but his players just couldn’t find a way past a resolute Lebanese defence.

“We played the same way that we played in the last four matches in the second round of the qualifiers,” Van Marwijk said.

 “However, we only showed 10 percent of the performance that we had as we controlled possession up to 70 percent but the heroics of the Lebanon goalkeeper prevented us from scoring.”

The 69-year-old tactician, however, said while the result was a setback, there is still much to play for and UAE can realise their dream of reaching the FIFA World Cup Finals for a second time.

“We still have a big chance to reach the World Cup as we didn’t lose but we shared a draw in one of 10 matches that we will be playing in the final round. It is only one match but I was hoping, of course, to start with a win. We still have many matches and today’s result should not affect our chances to qualify.”

Lebanon head coach Ivan Hasek was pleased with the result, saying his previous coaching experience in the UAE and the fighting spirit of his players was key for the Cedars claiming a valuable point.

“I know a lot about UAE football and their players, which made our task easy today,” said Hasek, a former Al Fujairah and Al Hilal head coach. “All the players gave their best tonight and vowed to please the Lebanese people in such difficult circumstances.

“Our preparations were good and despite missing many players due to injuries or COVID-19, we had a good result. I’m proud of my players as they did exactly what we came here for and we have a valuable point.”

Speaking ahead of Lebanon’s next match against South Korea on Tuesday, the 57-year-old Czech native said it would be another tough match for his side.

“Lebanon are not one of the favourites to advance from the group as everyone is rooting for Korea Republic and Islamic Republic of Iran. However, we should take advantage of this in order to build the confidence of the players for the next matches.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s acting head coach Mario Tot and match winner Jahanbakhsh both revealed their delight at their side’s win over Syria.

With star striker Sardar Azmoun suspended and head coach Dragan Skocic unable to attend after returning a positive COVID-19 test, Team Melli did enough to continue a 48-year unbeaten run against the Qasioun Eagles, with Jahanbakhsh’s 56th-minute goal proving decisive.

“I want to say that we are very happy that we won the game,” said the former Changchun Yatai and Kedah boss.

While Iran can look ahead with confidence as Group A leaders, Syria find themselves at the bottom of the standings despite a spirited performance, and which might have been rewarded had striker Omar Khribin converted a gilt-edged chance in the 16th minute.

Despite the defeat, Syrian head coach Nizar Mahrous had no complaints about his side’s effort.

“We had a good match against Iran and we didn’t deserve to lose. A draw would have been a fair result for the two sides,” he said.