UAE head coach Paulo Bento has compared the UAE’s 3-1 win over Qatar to South Korea’s dramatic triumph against Portugal in the 2022 World Cup, with the Portuguese manager overseeing both victories.
The Whites restarted their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in style last night (Thursday), coming from behind to secure their first victory over Qatar in nine years.
The impressive win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium brought back memories of another famous Bento-led upset — South Korea's win against Portugal. In the 2022 World Cup, Bento’s South Korea clinched a thrilling injury-time victory, overtaking Uruguay in their group in the process to reach the last 16 on goals scored.
Much like the UAE against Qatar, South Korea had been trailing before rallying to win with goals from Kim Young-gwon and Hwang Hee-chan.
"To be honest, the most important thing in football are the players,” said Bento after the UAE’s historic triumph on Thursday.
“What we tried to do is bring them the best tools to help them understand the game in the proper way and help them follow the best strategy. This comes from the technical staff and not just me, the coach.
"We tried to change certain things due to the result because we were losing in the first half. We tried to change the way to press the opponent. It is important that they understand. The game against Portugal is similar to this game. We were 1-1 at half-time in that game.
"We are not geniuses when we turn around a result like that. We are not failures when we lose the game either. We are simple people who try to win in football. We try to bring the players the best possible tools to win a game.”
Bento will be hoping to draw more parallels between his former side, who are ranked 23rd in the world, and the UAE in the months ahead as he aims to guide the Emiratis to only their second-ever World Cup finals.
The UAE will face Iran in Al Ain on Tuesday in their second Group A match, a fixture that promises to be another tough challenge as they seek their first-ever competitive victory over Amir Ghalenoei’s side.
The Lions of Persia also began their third-round campaign with a win, narrowly defeating Kyrgyzstan 1-0 on Thursday.
