UAE now ready for the Palestine challenge

Abu Dhabi - Coach Mahdi Ali pleased with his team's performance

It was a heady night but the UAE didn't have the luxury of savouring one of their biggest wins in world football. It was back to work again, as the Whites jetted out of Dubai International Airport to Jordan on Friday afternoon, to prep for their next challenge.
The UAE walloped a hapless Malaysia in the Asia zone World Cup qualifier at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday night.
The astonishing 10-0 victory put the UAE on top of Group A, despite being tied on six points with neighbours Saudi Arabia. The Whites have plundered 11 and have conceded none, compared to Saudi Arabia, who defeated Timor Leste 7-0 to take their tally to 10. But they have conceded two.
It was a massive win, just coming short of besting their biggest win which was 12-0 against Brunei in 2001. But, as he usually is, coach Mahdi Ali was not getting carried away and had already trained his eyes on their next challenge.
The UAE take on Palestine on Tuesday and the squad left for Jordan, where they will spend three days to prepare for the fixture.
"We did a very good job. I'm happy for the record number of goals. But we have another challenge now. Today is finished," Mahdi Ali said.
"Palestine are a good team. We have to respect them and it will be the first game in their country. We have to prepare well," added Mahdi Ali.
Palestine are third on the table with three points after a win and a loss. They were edged out 3-2 by Saudi Arabia after which they blanked Malaysia 6-0.
It will be their first game at home after their match against Saudi Arabia in June was shifted to Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Coming to the fixture against Malaysia, Mahdi Ali was obviously pleased with the big win and hailed it as a great performance.
"It was great performance by the team. The fitness levels of the players were top notch," said Mahdi Ali.
Al Ahli striker Ahmed Khalil scored four goals, while Al Jazira frontman Ali Ahmed Mabkhout returned with three on the night from his backyard. Al Ain duo Mohanad Salem and Mohammed Ahmed as well as Al Ahli's Habib Al Fardan scored one each.
But the ground work was laid by star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, with the Al Ain ace coming up with six assists, while Bani Yas' Amer Abdulrahman had three.
But 'Amoory,' as he is popularly known, didn't figure on the score sheet despite the goal glut. And Mahdi Ali, while praising Omar, said it was all about team work.
"I am happy for Omar. He did an excellent job. Though he didn't score, I always believe it is about team work. At the end of the day, we won. Omar had scored the winning goal against Timor Leste and tonight the others did well," he said.
Mahdi Ali also thanked the fans who braved the sand storm and turned up for the game. "It was extra motivation for the players to see the fans. Even though in small numbers, it was good to see the fans. And I hope they come in large numbers for all our home fixtures," he added.
After they game against Palestine, the UAE then make the trip to Saudi Arabia on October 8 before hosting Timor Leste in the return fixture on November 12.
The Whites then travel to Malaysia on November 17 before welcoming Palestine at home on March 24, 2016. Their final fixture of the group is against Saudi Arabia at home on March 29.
james@khaleejtimes.com