Gritty UAE hold Iraq in Gulf Cup

UAE held the star-studded Iraq to a goalless draw on the second day of the ongoing 20th Gulf Cup at the 22nd May Stadium in Aden, Yemen on Tuesday.

By Hisham Al Gizouli

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Published: Thu 25 Nov 2010, 12:32 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 4:33 AM

The UAE squad, which missed the efforts of Al Wahda and the Olympic national team players, battled hard and succeeded in stoping the Asian champions’ strikers. Keeper Majed Nasser blocked Younus Mahmoud’s shot from the spot in the second half and made a courageous save to Nashaat’s attempt from inside the six-yard box in the dying minutes of the tough clash.

The result was positive and encouraging for the UAE side in their campaign to recapture the title which they have won in the 18th edition of the Gulf Cup in Abu Dhabi 2007. The Iraqis were the better side on the pitch and they have virtually controlled the field to set their pace right from the onset, but the UAE youngsters defended courageously.

In an earlier match, Bahrain held Oman to a 1-1 draw.

Saudi Arabia cruised to an easy 4-0 victory over hosts Yemen in the opener on Monday. Osama Al Muwalad struck for Saudi Arabia in the fourth minute, while Mohammed Al Shalhoub added the second goal in the 58th minute.

Muhanad Asiri scored the third one in the 72nd minute and Moshaal Abdul Wahab made it 4-0 in the second minute of the injury time.

In another clash, Kuwait beat Qatar 1-0 on the opening day. The all-important goal of the game was scored by Yousuf Naser Al Salman in the 28th minute to give the Blues full points.

hisham@khaleejtimes.com


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