Abu Dhabi: The UAE hopes of reaching the finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil came to a sad end Tuesday at Suwon Stadium in Seoul after they lost to South Korea 2-1 following two fatal individual mistakes despite the team playing their best match in a long time.
A wrong pass from Esmail Matar gave possession to Im Jaesung in midfield to send a penetrating pass to his captain, Park Chu Young who was clear with only UAE’s custodian Majed Nasir to beat which he did in the 50th and an own goal by Hamdan Al Kamali in the 63 rd minute following a corner by Ki Sung Yueng sealed the result for the Koreans and put them on top of Group B with 7 points from 3 matches awaiting the result of the Lebanon vs Kuwait match which was played later last night.
Matar made amends by scoring the UAE’s only goal following an organiseed attacking moves which ended with substitute Ahmad Juma who lobbed for Matar to score in the first minute of injury time but there was no more time to settle the score.
Spirited match
The UAE led by new local coach Dr. Abdulla Misfir played a good spirited match and gave the home team a hard time specially in the first half in which they applied zone defense and closed all roads to their net while depending upon the speed and ball control capabilities of Esmail Al Hammad, Matar and Ali Al Waheebi in counter attack.
The absence of injured striker Ahmad Khalil was felt as Matar played alone in the front among four Korean defenders but the UAE ace striker proved to a one-man-team giving the Koreans a headache as they used all means, legal and otherwise, to stop him.
Defence
Al Ahammadi did an excellent effort both in defence and attack but the two mistakes deprived the team from a positive result and ended their hopes as they are the only team in the group which all three matches having lost against Kuwait and Lebanon under former coach, Srecko Katanec.
It was the 9th victory for the Koreans against the UAE in 13 matches having drawn twice and lost twice, both in friendly matches, and they look on their way to their 8th successive World Cup finals as representatives of Asia.
The return leg will be held in Al Ain on November 11.
