The UAE players celebrated a goal against Kyrgyzstan at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. — AFP

The UAE rebounded from a series of disappointing results with a commanding 3-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan in a pivotal Fifa World Cup qualifier at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. This crucial win kept the UAE's aspirations of making their second appearance on the global stage alive. The Whites have now moved up to the third spot with seven points from five matches in Group A.

The first half was filled with action, with both teams creating early threats. Kyrgyzstan’s Gulzhigit Alykulov directed his header straight at keeper Khalid Eisa, while UAE’s Fabio Lima sent his attempt from outside the box over the bar. Lima had another opportunity in the eighth minute when Caio Canedo played a through ball into the area, but the midfielder failed to capitalize, with Kyrgyz Republic keeper Erzhan Tokotayev making a routine save.

The UAE continued to dominate possession, with Yahya Al Ghassani and Lima causing problems. At the other end, Alykulov forced a save from Khalid Eisa. A careless backpass in the 15th minute turned into a nightmare for Kayrat Zhyrgalbek, as Harib Abdalla Suhail intercepted the ball and rounded Tokotayev to score into an unguarded net.

The Central Asian side struggled to recover, with efforts from Alimardon Shukurov in the 17th minute and another eight minutes later failing to trouble Eisa. Tokotayev made a fine save in the 35th minute to deny Al Ghassani from a free-kick, but was later beaten by Marcus Meloni from distance, doubling the UAE’s lead. Eisa then denied Valeriy Kichin from distance in the 39th minute before stopping Zhyrgalbek from close range to maintain the UAE’s lead at halftime.

Kyrgyzstan introduced Andriy Mishchenko, Nurlanbek Sarykbaev, Kimi Merk, and Beknaz Almazbekov in the second half, but a comeback was not forthcoming. Abdalla Suhail secured his second goal of the evening in the 86th minute, sealing the win for the UAE.

The UAE will next face Qatar, while Kyrgyzstan will take on Iran in Matchday Six. Asia has eight direct slots for the next Fifa World Cup, which will be a 48-team tournament. Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. The UAE are in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.

South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait compete in Group B, while Group C features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will then compete in the six-team fourth round of qualifiers.

The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will secure the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will face off in a playoff. The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.

The UAE last qualified for the World Cup in 1990, their maiden appearance at the global showpiece. (with inputs from AFC)

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