UAE get off to a winning start

Muscat: Reigning champions, the UAE, started their campaign in the 19th edition of the Gulf Cup, beating Yemen 3-1 here on Monday.

Ace UAE striker Esmail Mattar, who had lost his father recently, refused to surrender to sorrow and took to the field. Mattar had flown back to Abu Dhabi on Saturday, following the death of his father, but arrived here yesterday to be with his teammates and was an example of dedication and loyalty.

Dominique Bathenay, the UAE's head coach, had started with Majid Nasser in goal; Hayder Allo Ali, Faris Juma, Mohamamd Qasim and Mohammad Fayez in defence; Adul Salam Juma, his younger brother Abdul Rahim and Mohammad Ebrahim in the midfield and Mohammad Al Shehhi, Mohammad Omar and Esmail Al Hammadi in the attack.

The match started with Yemen giving the reigning champions a big scare, following a fast counter attack on the left side, which left Mouaz Ali hitting the bar in the second minute of the game. He again headed the rebound, but Faris cleared from the goalline.

The squandered chance put the UAE boys on their guard and they soon took complete command of the action. Leading them in the midfield was Abdul Salam, who was outstanding in the match.

The UAE's attacking moves were soon rewarded. Al Shehhi and Fayez exchanged passes on the left flank and Fayez crossed to Omar, who was brought down inside the box by Yemen defender Mohammad Ali, who was shown the yellow card by referee Kazim Ouda from Iraq.

From the resultant penalty kick, Omar himself slotted home to put UAE ahead in the fifth minute.

Allo Ali and Al Hammadi then combined for a beautiful move on the right and Ebrahim sent a through ball for Al Hammadi inside the box who was on target for the UAE's second goal in the 13th minute.

Trailing by two goals, Yemen tried every trick in the book, legal or otherwise, to thwart UAE's charge. This in turn resulted in the sending off of Mohammad Ali, after he picked up his second booking of the match in the 29th minute, following a rough tackle on UAE's Al Shehhi.

In the 65th minute, fed by an Abdul Rahim pass in the Yemen penetrative zone, Al Shehhi increased the tally with a piledriver that bulged the net.

In the 61st minute, Bathenay brought Mattar in to help him prepare for the team's next tough outing against Qatar on Thursday. Mattar was soon in command, displaying deft ball control and came close to scoring in the 83rd minute, but his shot sailed over.

Yemen's consolation goal was scored by captain Al Nono in injury time.