A meeting with defending titleholders Algeria now awaits the UAE after a decisive group-stage finish in Doha placed the national side among the last eight of the Fifa Arab Cup. The match will take place on Saturday following Algeria’s win against Iraq in their own final pool outing.
The UAE secured their qualification by defeating Kuwait 3-1 on Tuesday night, a result that coincided with Jordan’s 3-0 victory over Egypt. That combination of outcomes confirmed the UAE’s progress after earlier stumbling against Jordan and settling for a draw with Egypt.
Two goals from Yahya Al Ghassani and a long-range strike from Nicolas Gimenez—who was later named player of the match—carried the side through what many viewed as their most cohesive performance under coach Cosmin Olaroiu. For the first time in Olaroiu’s nine competitive fixtures, the margin was wider than a single goal.
Al Ghassani’s return drew particular attention given his importance to the national team over the past two years. His absence during critical World Cup qualifiers—including a knock picked up against Oman and a later spell on the sidelines during defeats to Qatar and Iraq—had been felt acutely.
Another significant comeback came at the other end of the pitch. Sasa Ivkovic, who first appeared late in Asian qualifying during a draw in Kyrgyzstan, finally returned from a long layoff. He again partnered with club teammate Lucas Pimenta, restoring a defensive combination that had been missing during key qualification matches.
Despite that reunion, the recurring problem of set-piece vulnerability resurfaced when Kuwait pulled a goal back from a dead-ball situation, the same type of lapse that proved costly against Qatar and Iraq earlier this year.
“Thank God, one time things have gone in our direction,” Olaroiu said. “We started the game very well and had an advantage of two goals. Unfortunately, again, we received a goal from a set piece. We are small and we can’t make them bigger.
“But we won the game and we [are going to the next round], and we look forward to the next step.”
