UAE stun Kuwait 2-0 in World Cup qualifier

Abu Dhabi: The UAE got off to a dream start in the Asian 2010 World Cup qualifiers, beating Kuwait 2-0 at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday night.

The victory propelled the hosts to top Group E after Syria scored a surprising goalless draw against favourites Iran.
The goals scored by Mohammad Al Shehhi and Faisal Khalil ended a long goal drought for the UAE.

UAE head coach Bruno Metsu started with a 4:4:2 combination, with midfielders Ahmad Dada and Mohammad Al Shehhi joining Esmail Mattar and Faisal Khalil up front.

Buoyed by the packed fans, the UAE pressed for an early goal, and their efforts were rewarded in the 13th minute when Subait Khater sent a free kick deep into the penalty box only for Al Shehhi to head it home.

Increase in tempo

The goal changed the tempo of the game with both teams making many attacking moves. The UAE applied a strict man-to-man marking and mixed it well with some fast counter-attacks from the flanks, led by Dada and Al Shehhi.

The UAE started the second half from where they left in the first and Faisal was on target only eight minutes on resumption of play when he headed home a flag kick from Subait .

Both teams organised many attacking moves, but haste and lack of concentration in the final touch deprived them of scoring more goals, especially Dada who made many inroads into the Kuwaiti defence, but did not score to cap his outstanding performance.

Radan, Kuwait's head coach, used all his cards but in vain. The UAE lead the group with 3 points followed by Iran and Syria with one each.

The UAE will meet Syria in their next match away on March 26.

Convincing wins

Meanwhile, Asian heavyweights Japan, Australia and South Korea blazed to convincing victories. Japan overwhelmed 10-man Thailand 4-1 for the perfect first step on the road to South Africa in 2010.

The Socceroos were equally dominant in their 3-0 thrashing of Asian Games champions Qatar in Melbourne, while the Koreans crushed minnows Turkmenistan 4-0 in Seoul.

- With inputs from agencies