Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: AFC Asian Cup 2015 Top Scorer Ali Mabkhout set up the opener before netting a second-half hat trick as the UAE defeated Turkmenistan 5-1 in an international friendly on Thursday that both sides are using to prepare for their forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifying matches.
Mabkhout, who scored five times as the UAE finished third at the continent’s flagship tournament back in January, whipped the ball over to an unmarked Mohammed Abdulrahman, who broke the deadlock with half-an-hour at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium played before Amer Omar doubled the advantage just two minutes later.
Turkmenistan star Suleyman Muhadov - Top Scorer and MVP as his former club FC HTTU won the 2014 AFC President’s Cup - reduced the deficit in the 57th minute but the UAE soon restored the two-goal cushion with Mabkhout (pictured during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup) scoring the first of his treble six minutes later before the Al Jazira striker went on to on to complete his hat-trick and the emphatic 5-1 win with further goals in the 75th and 80th minutes.
The UAE, who took on the Turkmen without mercurial Al Ain midfielder Omar Abdulrahman and skipper Ahmed Khalil, who is one of six Al Ahli players preparing for Saturday’s AFC Champions League final first leg against Guangzhou Evergrande, resume their joint-qualifying campaign on November 12 when they entertain Timor Leste before the 2019 AFC Asian Cup hosts head to South East Asia to play Malaysia five days later.
After consecutive wins, including a record 10-0 hammering of the Malaysians, the UAE have stuttered in Group A, having been held to a goalless draw at home to Palestine before going down 2-1 to table-topping Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
Turkmenistan, meanwhile, face a tough trip to Tehran where they will face three-time AFC Asian Cup winners Iran on November 12 before welcoming current Group D leaders Oman to the Kopetdag Stadium on November 17.
The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.
Photo: AFP