Abu Dhabi The UAE Olympic football team did a Houdini act and came back from 2-0 down to beat Uzbekistan and make history — reaching the finals of the Olympic Games for the first time in the country's history.
It was a sweet victory for the way it was achieved and this generation of players deserve all credit for bringing joy and a sense of achievement to the UAE whenever they have taken part in regional, continental or international competitions.
What makes the victory sweeter is the fact that it was achieved relying purely on UAE expertise as the team was led by Emirati coach Mahdi Ali who achieved what world-famous coaches like Carlos Alberto, Valerie Lobanovesky, Hishmat Muhajirani, Carlos Queiroz and Tomislav Ivic failed to do since the first participation of the UAE in the Olympic qualifiers in 1983, when they took on Iraq for a spot at the Los Angeles Games of 1984.
Ahmad Khalil, the striker who did not score in all the previous matches of the qualifiers, reminded everyone of his outstanding capabilities and scored twice within four minutes to book the tickets for London this summer with his team needing just a single point to progress. His substitute Habboush Saleh went a step further and added the winner to ensure the UAE make the trip to Britain in style.
The team came up with arguably the most important four minutes in the history of UAE football. The Uzbeks scored a second goal but instead of giving up hope, the UAE players came back strong and Khalil's brace stepped up the pressure upon the hosts. It was an ideal comeback at the most opportune time.
The amazing fact about this team of achievers who have previously won the GCC Junior Championship in 2006, the Asian Youth Championship in 2008, the Asian Games silver medals in 2010 and the GCC Under-23 Championship in 2010, is that they have achieved all these victories away from home. Yesterday, they added another brilliant chapter to that success story, again outside the UAE's borders.
The UAE Olympic team has discovered a shorter route to London by going East!
