Photo: AFP
Four-goal hero Fabio Lima declared the United Arab Emirates' 5-0 demolition of Qatar on Tuesday as their most impressive display in the third stage of Asia's World Cup qualifiers. The Brazil-born striker set the tone early in Abu Dhabi, scoring in the fourth minute, before converting two penalties and a stunning long-range free kick to cement the UAE's position in third place in Group A.
Iran and Uzbekistan both secured victories against Kyrgyzstan and North Korea, respectively, to maintain their hold on the automatic spots for the 2026 finals. However, the UAE's remarkable win over the continental champions kept them in contention.
"We played exceptionally well, an incredible match," Lima remarked. "Our team delivered our best performance in this competition today, and we must sustain this level." He added, "If we maintain this level, we have a strong chance of advancing to the next round."
The UAE has only qualified for the World Cup once before, making their debut at Italy 1990. With Asia now guaranteed a minimum of eight spots in the expanded finals in North America, their chances of returning to the tournament have improved significantly.
Paulo Bento's side moved to 10 points with the win over Qatar, remaining three points behind second-placed Uzbekistan and six points adrift of leaders Iran. While the top two teams advance directly to the World Cup, those finishing third and fourth in the six-team group will proceed to an additional round of qualifiers.
"The entire team was focused from start to finish," Lima noted. "I hope we can continue this form." He concluded, "We have a challenging match against Iran in a few months, but we will celebrate our victory and then focus on preparing for Iran."
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
