Trio shine as resurgent UAE rout Qatar in FIFA WC Asian Qualifier

The UAE produced a thrilling comeback to defeat Qatar 3-1 in their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Group A tie at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.

UAE will look to build on this win when they face Islamic Republic of Iran at Al Ain on Tuesday, with Qatar looking to bounce back in their game against DPR Korea.

The match got off to a scrappy start with both sides taking time to settle down at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

The first piece of attacking play came from the two-time AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar in the 15th minute that needed a Khalifa Al Hammadi late interception to deny Akram Afif a tap-in.

Afif then served teammate Jassem Gaber a sumptuous cross from the left, only for the latter to power his header over the bar from close range.

Qatar cranked up the pressure and eventually took the lead in the 38th minute when Afif found 18-year-old Ibrahim Al Hassan, who then beat Yahia Nader before slamming an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner.

The opening 15 minutes of the second half saw both sides cancelling each other out with neither goalkeeper, Qatar’s Meshaal Barsham nor Khalid Eisa of UAE called into action.

Just after the hour mark, UAE went close when Abdulla Hamad hit a powerful shot from the edge of the box that hit the side netting as the visitors served up a warning.

Growing in confidence, it was no surprise that UAE found the equaliser in the 68th minute after Harib Abdalla was given space in the box to cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot past Barsham.

The turnaround was completed for UAE in the 80th minute when full-back Khaled Aldhanhani intercepted a pass, burst forward to receive Harib’s return and then unleashed a shot straight into the top corner.

There was drama late in the game when referee Shaun Evans pointed to the spot after he spotted a handball from Nader but following a VAR check, the decision was reversed and with that, so was Qatar’s chance to rescue the game.

UAE went on to add a third in stoppage time through substitute Ali Saleh, benefiting from a defensive mistake to strike his shot into the roof of the net, sealing the win for the Emiratis.

Earlier, Japan made a rampant start to the decisive third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup by hammering China 7-0 but Australia suffered a shock home defeat to Bahrain.

In other action on Thursday, Palestine earned a deserved point with a 0-0 draw away at South Korea as they attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time.

Premier League stars Kaoru Mitoma and Wataru Endo both scored as Japan taught a hapless China a footballing lesson in Saitama.

Brighton winger Mitoma, who has missed a chunk of this year with injury, was making his first appearance for Japan since the Asian Cup in January.

He announced his return in emphatic style in front of more than 50,000 fans, scoring with a first-half header after Liverpool’s Endo had given Japan the lead.

Mitoma said he was “relieved” to get on the scoresheet.

“The home support was overwhelming and that allowed us to play well from the first whistle,” he said.

Takumi Minamino added two more goals after the break to put Japan on cruise control against a China side looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 2002.

Junya Ito, who was also playing for Japan for the first time since the Asian Cup, scored another before late goals from Daizen Maeda and Takefusa Kubo capped a dominant performance from Hajime Moriyasu’s side.

It was a night to forget for China, who squeezed into the third qualifying round thanks only to a superior head-to-head record over Thailand.

Also in Group C, Bahrain stunned Australia 1-0 on the Gold Coast thanks to an 89th-minute Harry Souttar own goal.