10-man Iraq lose to the Emiratis 3-2 in Asian Cup. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEWCASTLE: Ali Mabkhout put one hand on the Asian Cup golden boot award yesterday as UAE came from behind to beat 10-man Iraq 3-2 in a rollercoaster third-place playoff.
The Al Jazira marksman took his tally for the competition to five with a nerveless second-half penalty in Newcastle, putting him a goal ahead of partner Ahmed Khalil, who grabbed a brace.
“Before the match Mabkhout was the top scorer and I said if we get a penalty he would take it — but by then Ahmed had scored two and also had the chance for the golden boot,” UAE coach Mahdi Ali told reporters.
“It was a difficult decision but in the end the players stuck with my instructions.”
Khalil opened the scoring in the 16th minute, sliding the ball past goalkeeper Mohammed Hameed to complete a blistering counter-attack sparked by midfield wizard Omar Abdulrahman.
It was the stand-in captain’s first goal since his double against Qatar in their opening group match, and the Emiratis were on top in the early stages with Abdulrahman again pulling the strings.
But on 28 minutes the momentum swung towards Iraq when Waleed Salim’s deflected shot from inside the box looped over goalkeeper Khalid Eisa and into the back of the net.
The Iraqis then took the lead three minutes before half-time, with winger Amjed Kalaf slotting in a rebound from close range after Eisa parried Ahmed Yaseen’s powerful shot.
Younis Mahmoud spurned a golden opportunity to extend the lead when he blazed wide when through on goal just after the restart.
Iraq would rue that miss just minutes later as Abdulrahman chipped a trademark ball over the defence to Khalil, who finished with aplomb to make it 2-2 in the 51st minute.
UAE soon went 3-2 ahead when Mabkhout rolled in his penalty in the 57th minute after being bundled over in the box by Ahmed Ibrahim, who was consequently sent off.
Iraq’s 10 men searched tirelessly for the equaliser in the remaining half-hour but UAE held firm to finish the tournament on a high in front of a healthy crowd of 12,000.
Now, Australia will face the unbeaten South Koreans in today’s final.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2015.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ