The UAE was unable to breach a steadfast Iran defense, suffering a 1-0 loss in their World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A match on Tuesday. Mehdi Ghayedi emerged as the hero for Iran, scoring a crucial goal just before halftime, which kept Iran at maximum points after two matches. Paulo Bento opted for an unchanged starting lineup for the UAE, while Amir Ghalenoei made four changes, including the inclusion of Saleh Hardani, Saeid Ezatolahi, Hossein Kanani, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh for Iran.
The first 25 minutes saw limited opportunities for both teams, with neither Khalid Eisa in the UAE goal nor Alireza Beiranvand for Iran being seriously tested. Iran thought they had scored just after the half-hour mark when Mehdi Taremi's shot was deflected into the path of Ghayedi, but the goal was disallowed for offside. As the match seemed destined for a goalless first half, Ghayedi seized the moment in the third minute of added time, winning the ball from Khaled Aldhanhani inside the box and firing a shot past Eisa.
In the second half, Iran nearly doubled their lead when Ghayedi's corner found Jahanbakhsh, whose header required Eisa's intervention. Iran continued to press, with Hardani's cross in the 68th minute finding Taremi, whose header narrowly missed the target. A quick counterattack ten minutes later saw Sardar Azmoun setting up Taremi, but the Inter Milan forward misjudged the ball's trajectory.
UAE believed they had a chance to equalize from the penalty spot after referee Kim Jong-hyeok awarded a penalty for a handball by Hardani, but VAR overturned the decision, extinguishing the Emiratis' hopes of a comeback. Asia has eight direct slots for the upcoming 48-team FIFA World Cup. Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. The UAE is in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, with the third and fourth-placed teams competing in the fourth round of qualifiers.
The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three. The winners of each group will secure the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the runners-up will face off in a playoff. The winner of the Asian playoff will then compete in an inter-confederation playoff tournament for the final two slots in the World Cup. The UAE has not qualified for the World Cup since their debut in 1990.
