“I’m satisfied with today’s victory for two things,” said Skocic in the post-match press conference. 

“We controlled the ball and had a good performance in the first half while in the second hal,f we showed good composure despite the dismissal of Sadegh Moharrami.”

“I am very satisfied that despite enduring this pressure, we were able to create more chances than our opponents. It was a very important match and we tried our best to find solutions.

“We might have missed many scoring chances in the last two matches but we have quality in the attack of our team. I’m very proud of the players and satisfied with our strikers," said Skocic.

The victory meant IR Iran maintained a two-point lead over Korea Republic at the top of the Group A standings, with the two already qualified sides to meet on Matchday Nine on March 24. 

UAE coach Bert van Marwijk,  meanwhile, was disappointed with the performance of his team and the result.

"I expected more from my players, but I’m disappointed with the result and their performance,” said the Dutch coach in the post-match press conference. “In the first half we tried our best to play our own way and control the midfield.”

“We tried to take the initiative in the second half following the red card but our opponents defended well and we couldn't create many scoring chances.

“We are still in the race for third place but I'm sad for today's defeat,” said the 69-year-old coach. “We have to perform better in the next matches in order to achieve what we are looking for.”

UAE, on nine points, play Iraq and Korea Republic in their remaining matches with third place - which would mean advancing to the playoff - still very much within reach.