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| 2010 FIFA World Cup |
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| Saudis rally to down UAE |
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| Visiting Saudi fans celebrate their side's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over the UAE. (AFP) |
ABU DHABI – Substitute Ahmed Al Fraidi scored a second-half winner with a fine solo effort as Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat the UAE 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.
Subait Khater gave the hosts the lead midway through the first half, scoring directly from a corner kick but the Saudis got two goals in five minutes in the second half to turn the match in their favour.
Abdoh Autef equalised with a deflected shot in the 68th minute before Al Fraidi weaved his way into the box from the right flank before finding the net with a clever toe poke.
The Saudis joined DPR Korea at the top of Group Two on four points while UAE remained without a point after their second consecutive home defeat.
There was a quick tempo at the start but little in the way of scoring chances in the first 20 minutes apart from a Subait Khater free-kick which deflected off the Saudi wall but flew straight at goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
Khater tested Abdullah again in the 22nd minute with a fierce dipping shot from 25 metres that was pushed aside by the Saudi keeper as it angled towards the bottom left corner of the net.
But the Al Jazira midfielder found the net from the resulting corner, whipping in a ball that should have been dealt with by either Khaled Aziz and Ahmed Ateef at the near post but threaded its way between the two midfielders on its way into the net.
The Saudis rarely threatened in the first half with their best effort falling to Saad Al Harthi, who rose unchallenged in the 29th minute to meet an Abdoh Autef corner but put his header wide.
UAE should have made it 2-0 just before half-time when Ismail Matar lobbed a brilliant pass from the halfway line into the path of Ahmed Khalil, who burst clear of defender Majed Al Marshadi but snatched at his opportunity, firing wide with only Waleed Abdullah to beat.
UAE keeper Majed Naser was been rarely tested in the opening hour but had to be alert in the 63rd minute when he made an excellent reflex save after the ball had taken a wicked deflection off Ahmed Khalil. Abdoh Autef got to the rebound first but his shot was also denied by Naser.
Autef was denied again by Naser with a shot from range in the 67th minute but a minute later, he found the net with a fierce right-footed shot that took a big deflection off UAE skipper Rashid Abdulrahman on its way past Naser.
The match was turned on its head when Ahmed Al Fraidi put the visitors in front five minutes later. The substitute worked his way in from the right flank, outpacing Adel Abdelaziz before surprising Naser with a toe-poke with his right foot.
UAE dominated possession in the closing minutes but were unable to find a equaliser in the closing minutes as they suffered a second 2-1 loss in five days following last weekend’s defeat to DPR Korea.
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