Sport | Football
UAE side stay buoyant ahead of key qualifying game in Kuwait
The UAE players returned to their training camp at Hilton Hotel, Al Ain, to prepare for their crucial match next Saturday against Kuwait in the Asian qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.
- By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:36 June 9, 2008
- Members of the UAE national team limber up during a training session at the Al Ain Sports Club ground.
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
Al Ain: The UAE players returned to their training camp at Hilton Hotel, Al Ain, to prepare for their crucial match next Saturday against Kuwait in the Asian qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.
The UAE had lost their home game to Iran by a solitary goal last Saturday.
However, the players were in high spirits after Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, met the players and the administrative and technical staff on Sunday.
Shaikh Hamdan said: "We are satisfied with your brilliant performance against Iran and we do not feel that you let us down. We hope you win your remaining two matches to reach the second round of the qualifiers."
'Kind gesture'
"It was a kind gesture on the part of Shaikh Hamdan to meet us at such a time. It has boosted our morale and will surely be a motivating factor for us to do our best in the remaining matches of the campaign" Abdul Rahim Juma, the UAE captain, told Gulf News on Monday.
The fact that Kuwait defeated Syria 4-2 late on Sunday night and increased UAE's chances should also serve as a morale-booster for the side on their away game in Tehran on Saturday.
The UAE will host Syria on June 22. Victories against Kuwait and Syria will be enough for the UAE to enter the second round of qualifiers.
"We lost a single match out of four encounters. We have to accept this fact and work to compensate the loss against Kuwait and Syria to reach the second round," Faisal Khalil, the UAE striker, said yesterday. "We still have a chance and we have to be at our best to win the full six points. All we need is a bit more good luck," he added.
The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) chariman, Mohammad Khafan Al Rumaithi, said: "Our team played a strong attacking game, but we were unlucky to lose. We are confident that our players will compensate by winning against Kuwait and Syria. They are capable of doing that."
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