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The UAE National Team lose second successive game 1-3 to Lebanon

 

The UAE Senior National Football Team disappointed their loyal fans after losing their second successive game 1-3 to Lebanon played tonight on the Sports City pitch in Beirut in the third stage of the Asian qualifiers to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Both teams lost their opener last Friday as the UAE squad were beaten 3-2 by their Kuwaiti counterpart whereas Lebanon squad were humiliated 6-0 by the South Korean team. The UAE National Team will take on South Korea in Seoul on October 11th in the third round match while Kuwait will face Lebanon on the same day.

The Koreans are on top of the second group followed by Kuwait as runner up with three points each before their head-to-head encounter to be played this evening, while Lebanon are in the third position and UAE are at the bottom of the ladder.

 The UAE Slovenian coach Katanec started the game with Majid Nasser as goalkeeper, Khalid Sabeel, Walid Abbas, Mohammed Ahmad and Yousuf Jaber in the defense line, Ismail AL-Hamadi, Subait Khatir, Amer Abdul Rahman and Mahmoud Khamis in the midfield along with Ahmad Khalil and Mohammad AL Shehhy in the front line.

The visiting team pressed hard and controlled the game from the start looking for an early goal. They made some good efforts and created some dangerous opportunities and Mohammad AL Shehhy was the first to score, but his close-range shot was blocked brilliantly by the Lebanese goalkeeper Zeyad AL Samad only 9 minutes into the game. His teammate Ahmad Khalil lost another sitter when his shot flew away two minutes later. But Mahmoud Khamis came to compensate for the two lost chances to put the UAE team into the lead in the 16th minute with a perfect header off a dead ball switched by Subait Khatir inside the six yard area.

 The two teams went on their attempts to find the target and the Lebanon's midfielder Ridha Antar launched a rocket-like shot that deflected by the goalie Majid Nasser before being cleared away by a defender in the 23rd minute .The cross bar deprived the home team of scoring the equalizer in the 25th  minute. The Lebanon squad made some dangerous attacks but the UAE defenders stood solid on their way and spoiled all their attempts. Their continued forays resulted in a penalty kick in the 37th minute and Mohammad Ghadar made no mistake when he slammed the ball into the left hand side bringing the game to the first square. The hosts were the better side in the last ten minutes of the first half but they could not benefit of all the chances they created before the breather.

 The hosts started the second session exerting more efforts with all the hope to score the second goal and their attempts were soon rewarded when Akram Maghrabi made it 2-1 only 8 minutes after the break. Katanec made his first substitute bringing on Ahmad Juma'a to replace Mohammad AL Shehhy in the 57th minute followed by Amer Mubarak and Salem Saleh who were fielded on to replace Amer Mubarak and Mahmoud Khamis. The second goal made things difficult for the visitors who demonstrated afterwards a shaky performance, but they all went out in the last twenty minutes but all their efforts were in vain. The losers' striker Ahmad Khalil came close to score the equalizer with a strong header off a dead ball sent by midfielder Subait Khatir, but the home team's custodian Zeyad Al Samad tipped the ball over the cross bar for a corner in the 75th minute. Khalil came to launch a strong volley four minutes later but again it was deflected by the goalie to a corner.

At the time the UAE team were trying to reduce the deficit, Ridha Antar dashed their hopes when he netted the third goal with a lovely header in the 83rd minute. The Lebanese players defended bravely in the last minutes to end the game with a 3-1 win that helped them to collect their first three points.