Marwijk seals his maiden victory as UAE coach

UAE coach Bert van Marwijk shouts out instructions during the match. - Twitter

Dubai - The Whites run out 4-0 victors against Dominican Republic in an international friendly

Bert van Marwijk notched his first victory as the UAE coach, with his side running out victors against Dominican Republic in an international football friendly in Bahrain.
Marwijk, who was appointed as the new manager following Alberto Zaccheroni's departure, oversaw a 4-0 result against the 155th-ranked Dominican Republic at the Bahrain National Stadium. It was his first fixture since taking over in March.
The 67-year-old Dutchman, who guided the Netherlands to a runner-up finish in the 2010 World Cup, is tasked with molding a strong outfit with his remit being the joint qualification for the Fifa World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup.
The UAE's only appearance in the World Cup was in 1990 in Italy. The Whites' best showing in the AFC Asian Cup is a runner-up finish on home soil in 1996. They subsequently finished third in the 2015 edition held in Australia and were semifinalists at home, earlier this year.
Apart from a host of clubs like Feyenoord, Borrusia Dortmund and Hamburg, to name a few, Marwijk has also managed Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Marwijk helped Saudi Arabia qualify for the World Cup last year but then went on to coach Australia in Russia.
The UAE, ranked 65 in the world, proved to be much superior against the Dominican Republic and the fixture was good run out for Marwijk's men ahead of their World Cup qualifying opener against Malaysia on September 10.
The UAE, placed in Group G, along with Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, take on Malaysia at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Al Wahda defender Abdullah Jasim put the UAE ahead on four minutes and Khalil Al Hammadi then swelled the lead on 18 minutes. The Al Wahda midfielder went on to fire a brace, with his second coming on the half hour.
The UAE rounded it off with Bandar Al Ahbabi, the Al Ain midfield lynchpin, tucking in the fourth, five minutes from time.
The UAE are set to play another friendly, against Sri Lanka, ranked 200 in the world. The friendlies are part of the preparations for the qualfiers.
Following the first camp in Austria in July, the Whites have made Bahrain their base since August 25. They will wind up the camp Sunday. The squad will then travel to Malaysia on September 4.
 

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