UAE take a step closer to Asian Cup football finals

The UAE thumped Syria 3-1 last night at the Al Qattara Stadium in Al Ain to virtually assure themselves of a place in the finals of the 2004 Asian Cup in China.

In the crucial Group G qualifying match, the UAE rode on the strength of strikes from Rami Yaslam, Mohammed Omar and Sultan Rashid.

The victory raised their tally to seven points from four outings. The winners have two matches in hand, against Sri Lanka who are the whipping boys of the group.

Turkmenistan leads the four-team group with ten points from four matches.