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The UAE Senior team beat Bahrain to qualify to the GCC semifinals

The UAE Senior Football Team made their way through to continue their successful march after defeating their Bahraini counterparts with a 3-1 win in the third and last encounter of the second group of the GCC tournament which is currently organized by Yemen to qualify to the semifinals. The winners have finished the preliminary stage on top of their group with 5 points after drawing twice earlier to Iraq and Oman with the same goalless margin. They have collected the same balance that of Iraq who drew 0-0 with Oman in the same day, but the UAE team took the first position on goal difference. The UAE will tackle it out against Saudi Arabia who finished as runners-up of the first group whereas Iraq will face Kuwait on Thursday December 2nd. The winners in both matches are likely to proceed to the finals to decide the champions of the 20th tournament.

The UAE squad's midfielder Subait Khatir scored a quick goal off a stand ball to give his team an early lead when he sent a fierce volley that beat the Bahraini goalie Abbas Ahmad only four minutes into the game. The  winning team did not wait long before adding the second goal with a perfect header from defender Fares Juma'a that went straight into the left hand side four minutes later. The losers were affected by these two goals to demonstrate a shaky display, but they soon recovered to launch continuous raids giving their opponents hard times. They tried to capitalize on their rivals' retreat to their back line to defend their two-goal lead. The Bahraini players concentrated their attacks through their dynamic player Salman Essa on the left flank.  Ismail Al Hamadi came close to add the third goal when he received a lovely pass from left full back Yousuf Jabir, but his strong shot was blocked by a defender for a corner in the 29th minute.

The Bahraini team went on controlling the game, making good efforts to reduce the deficit, but the UAE defenders stood solid on their way to spoil all their attempts, besides the brilliant performance of the custodian Majid Nasir who made good saves. But the losers' efforts were rewarded when Abdullah Fatai penetrated deep into the right flank, rounded up defender Waleed Abbas before sending a strong shot that hit the bottom of the cross bar to make it 2-1. Inspired by their lone goal, the Bahraini players tried to level the score but all their efforts went in vain. Their teammate Fawzi Aesh was to make it 2-2 but his strong shot off a stand ball, was deflected to a corner by the goalkeeper Majid Nasir seven minutes before the break to give the UAE squad a 2-1 lead by the end of the first session.

The losers continued their efforts in the second half and they did their best to come back to the match but for their bag fortune they could not score. The UAE substitute Ahmad Jama'a added to the owes of the Bahraini team after driving the ball home into the right hand side of the goalkeeper in the 64th minute when he received a forward pass from his colleague Subait Katir who was himself about to net the fourth goal when his 77th- minute volley rebounded off the right up.

The two teams tried to score more goals in the last ten minutes but they squandered all the opportunities that came their way, for the UAE team to end the game with a 3-1 victory.