Six technical reasons emerged behind the loss of the national football team to its Iranian counterpart (0-1), the day before yesterday, at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the second round of the matches of Group One of the third and decisive stage of the qualifiers for the “2026 World Cup.”
The reasons were the lack of offensive effectiveness, in addition to the fact that the team paid the price for the fatal defensive mistake made by player Khalid Al-Dhanhani, which resulted in the only goal during the match, in addition to the difference in experience that tipped the scales in favor of the Iranian team, as well as the “Whites’” lack of technical and tactical solutions. The team also did not benefit from the positive atmosphere that preceded the match, especially after the great victory it achieved in the first round over the Qatari team, in addition to the competitor’s success in maintaining its lead by a single goal in the first half.
The loss caused the team to drop from the top of the group to third place, after its score froze at three points, which it gained by defeating the Qatari team (3-1) in the first round, while the Iranian team raised its score with this victory to six points, achieving the full mark in second place, behind Uzbekistan, the leader, on goal difference, while in fourth and fifth place are North Korea and Qatar with one point, while the Kyrgyz team is at the bottom of the standings with no points.
Despite the loss, the national team performed well against a strong team whose players have long experience in dealing with such matches. The “Whites” had more possession of the ball, but did not benefit from that, nor did they benefit from the home field advantage and the crowd.
For his part, the national team coach, Paulo Bento, expressed his satisfaction with the performance of his players, despite the loss to Iran. Bento said in statements published by the official website of the Asian Football Confederation, “The result was of course not good, but I am satisfied with the performance of the players.”
He added, “We conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half, and this was the worst moment for the UAE team in the match.”
He stressed, “I believe that if we had succeeded in ending the first half with a goalless draw, the course of the game in the second half would have been completely different.”
For his part, former international player and technical analyst Abdulrahman Mohammed said that the national team still has a great opportunity to compete strongly for a ticket to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, as there are still 24 points on the field, stressing the importance of winning the largest number of these points, especially in the matches held on the national team’s home ground, which are four matches with a total of 12 points. He pointed out that the national team made very simple mistakes that can be addressed, including what happened with player Khalid Al Dhanhani, who could have cleared the ball that resulted in the only goal of the match, stressing the national team’s ability to compensate.
Abdulrahman Mohammed added to Al-Emarat Al-Youm: “Although the team had more possession of the ball during the match, the possession was without danger.”
He pointed out the team’s need for offensive technical effectiveness and tactical solutions, especially since the team has individual solutions, represented by the skills of a number of players, stressing the team’s need for collective solutions, and this matter is supposed to be at the heart of the coach’s work in the coming period, considering that the return of striker Sultan Adel in the upcoming gatherings will serve the team in the rest of the qualifiers.
He stressed the national team’s need for an experienced player like Ali Mabkhout, especially after his current effectiveness with his team, Al-Nasr, after his recent transfer to it.
Abdulrahman Mohammed wondered about the absence of striker Junior Nday, who plays in the French league, on the national team bench, especially since he was brought in to benefit from him in the matches against Qatar and Iran, pointing out that the player could have been pushed in the second half, and he could have provided the required addition, pointing out that the national team coach Pinto is sometimes required to read the match better, and that the changes he makes should be faster, stressing that the Iranian team dealt with the match intelligently, and added: “If it weren’t for goalkeeper Khaled Issa’s intervention in more than one ball, the match could have ended with three goals in favor of the Iranian team. The defensive organization of our national team is good, but the team needs offensive effectiveness.”
Group 1 standings after the end of the second round
1-Uzbekistan “6 points”
2- Iran “6 points”
3- UAE “3 points”
4- North Korea “one point”
5- Qatar “one point”
6- Kyrgyzstan “no points”
6 reasons behind Al-Abyad’s loss to Iran
1- The lack of offensive effectiveness of the team.
2- The defensive error that caused the only goal of the match.
3- The difference in experience that worked in favor of the Iranian team.
4- The competitor’s success in maintaining its lead during the first half.
5- The “Whites” lacked technical and tactical solutions that would have changed the course of the match.
6- Not benefiting from the positive atmosphere that prevailed in the team after winning the first round.
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