SHARJAH: UAE coach Mahdi Ali congratulated his players after their impressive start in the Gulf Cup which kicked off in Bahrain on Saturday. UAE came from behind to defeat Qatar 3-1 after Bahrain and Oman had played a goalless draw in the opening match of the 21st edition of the Cup.

“My players have been training hard and I think they are very well prepared for this tournament,” said Mahdi whilst thanking his players for their spending victory against Qatar.

“We played one of the best matches so far, but still we have a lot of work to do, specially against Bahrain in our next match,” Mahdi added.

In Sunday’s match defending champions Kuwait beat Yemen 2-0 with goals from Yousef Nasser and Bader Al Mutawa.

UAE take on Bahrain on Tuesday, Jan.8, at 8.15pm and play their last Group A match against Oman on Wednesday at 6.45pm.

UAE fell in the arrears 11 minutes into play after Khalfan Ibrahim scored from the spot. But Omar Abdulrahman restored parity two minutes later when he sent his swerving free-kick beyond the Qatari keeper. Ali Mabkhot put the UAE into the lead in the 28th minute while Mohammed Ahmad made the issue safe scoring the third goal in the second half. The Qataris made a late surge keeping the UAE side pegged in their own half but the Whites guarded their citadel well to snatch the lead in Group A with three points.

A victory on Tuesday at the National Stadium in Riffa on Tuesday will assure them a spot in the semifinals.

The midfield hero of UAE’s victory, Omar praised Mahdi’s inspiration and asked the media to take it easy on them.

“We played much harder after we fell behind conceding a penalty,” said Omar. “Our opponents played with style but thanks to our coach who instilled more confidence in us.”

Omar was named the man of the match and was generous in thanking his team-mates for the award. “Thanks to the efforts of my colleagues, who helped me earn this. I thank my parents for their prayers,” added Omar who refused offers to play in Europe and continues with his club Al Ain.

Many UAE fans have traveled to Bahrain to support their team and hope they can achieve the feat by regaining the Cup they won in 2007.

In the opening game Oman enjoyed the lion’s share of exchanges but could not produce the final touch required as they were held to a goalless draw by the host nation.

 “I think technically we were poor. I couldn’t expect more, ” said Oman head coach Paul Le Guen after the match.

When asked about their lacklustre showing, Le Guen said: “There are many reasons; some players were not at their best level. The players may have been too nervous as they had played much better in previous matches.”

His counterpart Gabriel Calderon was happy to steal a point.

“Playing against the 2009 champions and getting a point better is than nothing,” added Calderon.