'Team' UAE do it for coach Mahdi Ali

UAE coach Mahdi Ali said the national team was able to clinch a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan in 2015 Asian Cup qualifying on Friday through teamwork and as planned.

"The players' performance was at its best today," he said, noting that although the game was a difficult one, the players managed to reverse the loss it suffered in the first half into a vital win with two well-earned goals in the second half. 

Through its high performance and win, the team proved that it is teamwork that matters and that it does not rely on one player, Mahdi added.

The goals scored by the UAE national football team's strikers Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout, in less than three-minutes interval, enabled the UAE to clinch the Asian Cup qualifying Group E victory taking its credit in the competition up to six points after beating Vietnam earlier also 2-1.

The first half was dominated by Uzbekistan as Shohruh Gadoev scored the sole goal and the Emirati Whites' performance was affected by the absence of its star Omar Abdulrahman.

The goal scored by the Uzbeks was due to an unintentional mistake, Mahdi Ali noted.

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