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UAE under-19 coach says players determined to reach finals

Mehdi Ali, the UAE under-19 coach, said his players were determined to win against the host country. He thanked the FA officials for putting trust in him to coach the team.

  • By Sayed Ali, Senior Reporter
  • Published: 23:02 November 9, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Mehdi Ali, the UAE under-19 coach, said his players were determined to win against the host country.

"Our players were determined to reach the World Cup finals. They were not willing to lose the chance again as they lost it two years ago," Ali said.

He thanked the FA officials for putting trust in him to coach the team.

"Although it was a short time before the start of the Asian Championships in Saudi Arabia, just less than two weeks, they were not scared to put confidence on me and I didn't let them down. The players were outstanding in all matches, especially in the Saudi Arabia match. They played from their hearts and deserved to qualify."

UAE skipper Hamdan Kamali congratulated the UAE people for this big achievement. "I hope we can make them happier by winning in the semifinals and clinching the Asian Youth Cup," he said.

Ziyab Awana, the UAE goal-scorer against Saudi Arabia, said he couldn't sleep the night before the match.

"Team manager Yasir Salim came to my room in the hotel and told me he had dreamt that I will score against Saudi Arabia. That boosted my confidence and I slept after that. During the match I had a feeling that I would score and I did it by scoring the most valuable goal that took us to the finals" said Awana.

UAE goalkeeper Yousuf Abdul Rahman said the team are looking to clinch the Asian Cup.

"After we reached the World Cup finals, our next target will be winning the Asian cup," he said.

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