Sport | Football
Make or break
UAE take on former champions Saudi Arabia in today's semifinals of the 18th Gulf Cup at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium high in confidence and determination.
- By Yasir Abbasher, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:36 May 3, 2009
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
- The Saudi Arabian team are gearing up for the crucial clash in the Gulf Cup. They take on hosts in the semifinals at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi tonight.
Abu Dhabi: The UAE face Saudi Arabia in a make or break encounter in the semifinals of the 18th Gulf Cup at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium at 8:15 tonight.
Only 90 minutes separates either team from reaching the final and every single player realises this fact. They will also be aware that the game will be the toughest and most gruelling 90 minutes of the competition so far as the losers will have to quit their dreams of winning the title.
The UAE have big dreams, for together with Oman and Bahrain they are the only top teams in the competition who have not yet won the title in 37 years of its history.
The Saudis are the only team in the last four who have won the title three times, the first of them was in the UAE in 1994.
But history does not repeat itself everyday.
The UAE started their campaign on a losing note but soon began to progress and improve from match to match and they are expected to reach their peak form in the last two matches.
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The team is expected to play with full force as they are not suffering any absence due to injuries, except for Humaid Fakher, who plays on the right side of defence. Hayder Allo Ali or Fahad Masaood will take his place.
There are no suspensions as the yellow cards the players got in the first round are cancelled by the tournament's Technical Committee, hoping that the teams will show their best.
But the semifinal round is not the opportunity for beautiful football. It is the round of tactical football where each coach will try to close his half of the field to prevent the opponents to score goals, especially as both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have shown some individual defensive mistakes which resulted in goals in this tournament.
Mistakes are a common feature of the game, but the team that commit the least tonight will emerge winners of the match.
The UAE players should give their full concentration and focus to the match especially in passing the ball. They have made many wrong passes in their three matches which negatived their efforts and gave their opponents the possession and the chance to build attacking moves.
Both teams have capable players in midfield and attack, who can change the course of the match. They are Yasir Qah'tani, Malek Mouaz and Mohammad Al Shalhoob from the Saudis and Faisal Khalil, Esmail Mattar and Mohammad Omar from the home team.
"We have the will to win and we also have the capabilities. We respect the Saudis but I believe that our fans will have the last say in deciding the winning team," said Fahad Masaood.
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