The UAE resumed their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in style, coming from behind to beat Qatar 3-1 in their third round opener at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
After a quiet opening 10 minutes, Paulo Bento's men nearly took the lead when Kouame Kouadio's goal-bound header was cleared just before crossing the line, with Qatar's goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham seemingly beaten.
That scare jolted Qatar into action, and they soon began to assert their dominance.
Following several half-chances, they missed a golden opportunity to go ahead as the half-hour mark approached. After a well-worked corner, playmaker Akram Afif whipped in a teasing cross, only for Jassem Gaber to somehow head over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
However, Qatar wouldn’t have to wait much longer to break the deadlock. Ten minutes later, Ibrahim Al Hassan scored his first international goal, slotting the ball past Khalid Eisa, who will feel he should have done better to keep it out.
In truth, the goal was no more than Qatar deserved, with the UAE fortunate to reach halftime only trailing by one. Bento faced the challenge of rejuvenating his side at the break, looking to end a run of four winless games against their opponents.
Whatever the Portuguese coach said in the dressing room clearly worked.
The UAE started the second half brightly and were unlucky not to equalise when Thanoon Al Zaabi’s long-range effort narrowly missed the target.
With the wind in their sails, the Whites got the equaliser that their second half efforts merited. Harib Abdalla Suhail expertly cut inside to leave two Qatari defenders in his wake before rifling home.
Seventeen minutes later, as both teams pushed for a winner, Khaled Ebraheem put the UAE ahead. The Al Sharjah defender won possession in his own half, exchanged a slick one-two with Suhail, and unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box, leaving Meshaal Barsham helpless in the Qatar goal.
The frantic second half continued when Qatar appeared to have won a penalty after Yahia Nader was judged to have handled the ball in the box. The decision seemed harsh in real time and even harsher upon replay, as the ball struck Nader's trailing arm during a sliding tackle.
Referee Shaun Evans consulted the pitchside monitor and overturned the call, leaving the UAE just seven minutes away from a dream start to the third round of AFC World Cup qualifying.
Those seven minutes stretched to 16 with nine minutes of stoppage time added, but it was no problem for the UAE. Ali Saleh sealed a memorable night in Al Rayyan with a 94th-minute strike, securing a 3-1 victory – a first over Qatar since 2015.
