Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Defending champions United Arab Emirates booked their place in the last four of the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations on Thursday after beating Iraq 2-0 at the King Fahd International Stadium.
In what was a rematch of last year’s final, UAE broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Ali Mabkhout received possession from Habib Al Fardan on the edge of the box and sent a unstoppable rocket into the top corner.
Two minutes after the hour mark, a poor back-pass by Iraq defender Ali Faez allowed Ahmed Khalil to nip in ahead of Mustafa Nadhim and lay it off to Mabkhout, who raced through and finished past Jalal Hassan to seal the win for his side.
The result was enough to secure a second-place finish in Group B for Al Abyad and they will now meet hosts Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals, while Sunday’s other last-four clash sees Oman lock horns with Qatar.
Following the Gulf Cup, United Arab Emirates’ next major challenge will come in January when they will be looking to be crowned continental champions for the first time ever at the AFC Asian Cup 2015.
Nonetheless, their path to the knockout round will be tricky given they have been drawn in Group C alongside Iran, Qatar and Bahrain.
Photo: AFP