Abu Dhabi: Two goals in two second-half minutes saw the United Arab Emirates (UAE) come from behind to register an impressive 2-1 win over Uzbekistan at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium yesterday in Group E of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Shohruh Gadoev gave Mirdjalal Kasimov’s side the lead after 16 minutes but goals from Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout – both set up by midfielder Amer Abdulrahman – secured the UAE a second straight win after kicking off their campaign with victory over Vietnam.
The result leaves Uzbekistan in early difficulties, with just a solitary point from their draw with Hong Kong in Tashkent on Matchday 1 in February.
“We achieved what we wanted from the match against Uzbekistan. We played well in most periods of the game and we managed to make a good comeback thanks to a superb performance form Ismaeil Matar,” said UAE coach Mahdi Ali.
“We proved that we don’t rely on one player and we had a good team work tonight,” he added. AGENCIES
