Dubai: The UAE sealed a fourth entry into the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Lebanon in the semi-finals of the AFC Beach Soccer Championships in Malaysia on Friday.
Tied 4-4 at the end of full-time and the extra-time of five minutes, the UAE scored two of their penalties to ensure their spot in the final and along with it their fourth entry into a Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup.
The three previous occasions the UAE qualified for the World Cup was in 2007, 2008 and 2013 — which in fact was their best performance when they were placed 15th.
On Friday, they battled it out against gritty opponents in Lebanon who bounced back from a 3-1 deficit to take the lead 4-3. But the UAE recovered to draw level 4-4 and force extra-time and finally seal a deserving win in the penalty shoot-out.
During the spot kicks, Haitham Fattal and Moustafa Al Zein both faltered, while Haitham Mohammad and Hasham Muntaser scored to ensure that the UAE became the first team to book one of three spots on offer at next month’s World Cup in the Bahamas.
The start of the match was all but scrappy and it was Ahmad Bashir handing the lead to the UAE from the spot after he had been fouled by Mahmoud Mattar. But their lead was short-lived as Ahmad Grada levelled soon thereafter.
The game then opened up and there were scoring chances galore from both sides, but the score remained tied 1-1 after a captivating second period.
Haitham Mohammad then came up with a tidy finish into the top corner of the goal to help the UAE lead once again, and if it was not for Mohammad Choker in the Lebanon goal the UAE could have led by a much bigger margin. Sloppy defending from the Lebanese allowed Ali Mohammad to get his name on the scoresheet with just 21 seconds left in the third period and make it 3-1.
But Lebanon never gave up as they responded quickly through a Mattar free-kick followed by a lovely goal from Mohammad Merhi that found the top corner of the net.
The skipper sent Lebanon in front for the first time with a well-struck penalty, only to see Ali wrestle back an equaliser for the UAE with a penalty.
After extra-time failed to find a winner, it was UAE who secured their final spot from the spot as Haitham and Hasham registered to ensure their country’s place in Saturday’s final.
The second semi-final was scheduled to be played between Iran and Japan, with the winner playing the UAE, while Lebanon will get one final shot at a Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup spot when they take on the loser from the second semi-final in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
