United Arab Emirates (UAE) ‘Bentuho’ finished their Asian Cup tour in the round of 16.
United Arab Emirates, led by coach Paulo Bento (Portugal), drew 1-1 with Tajikistan until extra time in the round of 16 of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup 2023 held at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 29th (Korea time) He bowed out in the penalty kick (3-5).
The United Arab Emirates, ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings, defeated Hong Kong (150th) 3-1 in the Group C stage and then drew 1-1 with Palestine (99th). Afterwards, they lost 1-2 to Iran (21st place) in the last match of the group stage, but recorded 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss (4 points), progressing to the round of 16 in the second site.
Coach Bento, who leads the UAE. Photo (Al Rayyan Qatar) = AFPBBNews = News1 United Arab Emirates Al Ghasani (No. 20) struggles in the match against Tajikistan. Photo (Al Rayyan Qatar) = AFPBBNews = News1
The UAE, who came 3rd in the 2015 Australian tournament and 4th in the 2019 tournament held in his home country, was looking to go higher after being kicked out, but failed to achieve his goals due to this defeat.
In particular, UAE head coach Bento has a deep connection with Korea. Coach Bento, who took charge of the Korean national football team in 2018, stuck to ‘constructed football’ that maximizes possession and won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar for the third time in total (12 years after competition South Africa 2010 and for the third time in total (2002, 2010, 2022) ) led Korea’s progress to the round of 16.
After taking a short break, Coach Bento took over as the UAE coach in July 2023 and participated in this Asian Cup. Coach Bento, who was eliminated by Qatar in the quarter-finals of the 2019 tournament when he was serving as Korea’s head coach, aimed for better results this time around, but unfortunately the tournament ended in the round of 16.
On the other hand, Tajikistan (106th in the FIFA rankings), which is participating in its first Asian Cup, is creating a huge sensation in Qatar. After a 0-0 draw with China (73rd) in Group A, they lost 0-1 to host country Qatar (58th), but beat Lebanon (107th) 2-1 and won 1, draw 1, and lost 1 (They entered the tournament in second place in Group A with 4 points. After gaining momentum, they even defeated the United Arab Emirates and advanced to the quarterfinals. Tajikistan will will face the winner of Iraq and Jordan for a ticket to the semi-finals.
UAE came out with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kaiou Kanedo Cogea led the attack, with Yahia Ali Al-Ghasani, Tanun Hamdan Al-Jabi and Fabio de Lima supporting from behind. Abdallah Ramadan and Yahia Nader coordinated the offense and defense, while Bader Nasser, Khalid Mohammed Al Hashmi, Khalifa Mubarak Al Hammadi and Zayed Sultan formed the defense. The goalkeeper’s gloves were worn by Khalid Eisa.
Tajikistan fought back with a 4-2-2-2 pattern. Shalom Samiev and Alisher Djalilov were in the lead, followed by Eson Panshanbe and Shervoni Mabatshoev. In the midfield, Alisher Shukurov and Parvizon Umarbayev formed the back four, while Manuchechr Safarov, Bakhdat Hananov, Dzhoir Zuraboev and Akhtam Nazarov formed the back four. The goal was protected by the goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov.
While a tense exploration battle took place in the early stages of the game, bad news hit the UAE. During the ball competition, Ramadan left the field complaining of hamstring pain. Instead, Abdullah Hamad Almenhali was brought on in the 15th minute of the first half.
Tajikistan, who were gradually leading, missed a golden opportunity in the 17th minute of the first half. Mabatshoev received a penetrating pass and found himself in a 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper. There was also a mistake by the goalkeeper Eisa, who missed the shot, but the ball went a little wide. In the 20th minute of the first half, Dzhalilov created another 1-1 chance, but was declared offside.
However, Tajikistan did not miss the third chance. In the 30th minute of the first half, Hananov redirected a cross from Zuraboev with his header from the right side of the penalty box. The ball was sucked straight into the goal.
After receiving a blow, the UAE tightened the reins of its attack even further. In the 37th minute of the first half, Sultan received a low cross from the left side with a right foot shot, but it did not go past the goalkeeper Yatimov. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Algasani broke through the left side and attempted a shot, but this time it was blocked by the goalkeeper Yatimov.
The UAE offensive continued. In the 44th minute of the first half, Algasani was awarded a free kick due to fouling the opponent in the penalty arc. Algasani, who took over as the kicker, attempted the kick, but the ball hit the wall. In the extra time of the first half, De Lima shot a ball that came out of a chaotic situation, but it hit the opposing defender and went out. The first half ended with Tajikistan leading 1-0.
UAE, desperate for a rescue goal, strengthened their attacking power at the start of the second half by removing Al Hashmi and bringing on Abdullah Idris. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Canedu Kogea was tripped by Zuraboev’s strong defense while turning around in the penalty box, but the referee did not call it foolish.
Tajikistan did not just sit back and watch. During a counterattack in the 10th minute of the second half, Fan Shanbe made a quick kick from the left side of the penalty box, but goalkeeper Eisa blocked it. In the 12th minute of the second half, Dzhalilov, who received a forward pass, attempted a shot in a 1-on-1 situation, but this time, goalkeeper Eisa saved.
Later, in the 14th minute of the second half, Tajikistan counterattacked and Jalilov faced Eisa’s goalkeeper, but failed to score an extra goal. As the game did not go as planned, the UAE immediately sent Ali Saleh and Khalid Ebrahim Aldanhani in place of Sultan and Almenhali.
Tajikistan also hit the floor in the 25th minute of the second half. A low cross from Samiev from the right was met by Dzhalilov, but the ball missed the goal again this time. Immediately afterwards, Tajikistan moved two players and brought in Rustam Soyrov and Nuridin Kamroklov. Accordingly, Majed Almerzi appeared in the UAE instead of Nader.
UAE became increasingly desperate and missed a decisive opportunity in the 45th minute of the second half. During the attack, the ball was caught in the hands of the opposing defender inside the penalty box. The referee conducted a video review (VAR), but did not declare a penalty. In the ensuing situation, Algasani fired a powerful right-footed mid-range shot from the penalty area, but it hit the goal post.
But the UAE did not give up until the end. A free kick was taken on the left side of the penalty area in extra time in the second half. Saleh, who took the kicker, gave a quick kick, which Al Hammadi redirected with a header. The ball took a fine parabola and was sucked into the goal. So the game went to overtime.
UAE players are happy after scoring the equalizing goal. Photo (Alaiyan Qatar) = AFPBBNews = News1 Tajikistan goalkeeper Yatimov saves in a penalty kick. Photo (Al Rayyan Qatar) = AFPBBNews = News1
While both teams were unable to show much during the extended period, the goddess of victory smiled on Tajikistan in the penalty kick. First, Tajikistan’s first kicker, Nazanov, hit the net with a powerful left-footed shot to the left. UAE Idris responded by calmly scoring a left-footed shot to the bottom left.
Tajikistan’s second kicker, Hanonov, then succeeded calmly with a low shot into the right corner. At this time, UAE kicker Kaiu Khanedu’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Yatimov, giving Tajikistan the win.
After that, the rest of Tajikistan’s kickers, who gained momentum, all succeeded without a mistake. The rest of the UAE’s kickers opened the scoring, but goalkeeper Eisa was unable to block the shot of Tajikistan’s last kicker, Shkrov. In the end, UAE ended the tournament in the round of 16.
Unfortunately, coach Bento’s UAE failed to advance to the quarter-finals. Photo (Al Rayyan Qatar) AFPBBNews=News1
Lee Han-joo, MK Sports reporter
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