The UAE head coach Mahdi Ali looked confident ahead of their clash against Iraq in the final of the 21st Gulf Cup at the National Stadium in the Bahraini capital of Manama on Friday at 8pm.
“I would like to congratulate both teams for reaching the final. I think this is going to be our toughest task because we are playing one of the best two sides in the tournament who have won all their three starts. There’s nothing easy in football and at the end we will say good luck for the winners and hard luck for the losers,” he said. “The players have shown the world their talent and the time has come to pick up the crop of their hard work. But, in all cases, they are the true champs who deserves all respect,” Ali said during a pre-match press conference.
According to Ali, the title was a major target for him before the tournament and they have moved now closer to his first Gulf glory which has been won before by three national trainers from KSA and Iraq and he would be very lucky to be his turn this time.
“We have already set our targets which is to prepare this squad for the future and as we have said repeatedly the 21st Gulf Cup is a stopover in the build up for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia and the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. But, this does not mean that we are not concerned with winning the Gulf Cup after having reached this advanced stage. “The UAE fans have always been adding to our efforts and I think they will continue to support us,” he said. The impressive UAE youngsters are facing a moment of truth in their attempt to emulate the achievement of the elder generation 2007 in Abu Dhabi, when Ismail Matar and his teammates won the trophy for the first time in the history of the country.
Unbeaten in four starts, Mahdi Ali’s men dumped out defending champions Kuwait 1-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday and moved a step closer to the title. Al Ahli top striker Ahmed Khalil late strike ended Kuwait’s title defense run and set an appointment for UAE against the Lions of the Mesopotamia (Iraq) as they are nicknamed. UAE have won this title in 2007, the same year in which Iraq have landed the AFC Asian Cup after beating Saudi Arabia in the final.
Khalil who was named the AFC Youth Player of the Year in 2008, and won with his current teammates the AFC U-18 Championship in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, are equally dreaming of bringing home a second airborne Cup with the senior national team.
Mabkhout promises great show
UAE forward Ali Mabkhout described the final against Iraq as a historic moment saying that they are determined to further delight their fans and never let them down.
“It’s a great honour for me to be nicknamed ‘Al Taliany’ and to carry the name of the all times great of the UAE football and hopefully I will be able to live up to the expectations,” the Al Jazira striker said.
“I have missed the UAE clash against Oman and the only game in which I didn’t score was in the semi-final against Kuwait. But, what matters for me was the final score of the match irrespective of who have scored the winner. It’s a team work,” he said.
“We are now under pressure. Over 23 planes have been provided by the wise leadership and the private sector to airlift the fans to Bahrain. I would like to thank all of our great supporters and we promise them to please them and keep their drums beating,” he said.
“This is the first Gulf Cup outing for the vast majority, if not all of the team. Our victory over Kuwait gave us the morale push which we have needed to get ready for the final. But, we still need to remain focused and keep wide open eyes on our target,” he said.
Bahrain, Kuwait eye third place
BAHRAIN – Bahrain and Kuwait will not be taking their match for third place on Friday lightly as both teams recognise the significance of finishing third in the 21st Gulf Cup.
Bahrain head coach Gabriel Calderon and Kuwait tactician Goran Tufegdzic both said that they will be looking to win, just as they would normally try to do in any other match.
The contest for third place kicks off at 3.15pm on Friday and it will be played at the Shaikh Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
“We are concentrating on winning tomorrow’s match, nothing more,” Calderon said today in a Press conference.
Tufegdzic commented: “We lost the semi-final and we accept this, so we will try to win third place as we respect this position, especially since there is a big difference between finishing third and fourth.
“This is an official tournament; even if we are playing in a friendly match, we will play to win.”
Calderon added that the team has done its best so far in the competition, and they must be praised for their good efforts.
“We were to contenders to be in the final, but win or lose, we need to cope with it,” Calderon said.
“We have played four strong games, and after extra time and penalties in our last match, our players were exhausted.
“But in the two-and-a-half months I have been with Bahrain, the team has done a great job. This proves to everyone that our players are of high quality.”
Agencies
‘UAE are determined to win’
ABU DHABI – UAE forward Ahmed Khalil said all the players of the national team are ready for the final of the 21st Gulf Cup against Iraq.
“The morale of the players is very high and they are determined to claim the title to present it to the wise leadership and fans. “It’s going to be a very tough and difficult clash, but the fighting spirit of the players will make things easier for us. The players did a very good job and have successfully reached this stage. The next step is to reach the pleasant conclusion to delight our faithful fans who have supported us all the way,” he said.
Etihad to provide extra flights to fans
ABU DHABI – Eihad Airways announced today it will operate at least three extra flights to carry football fans to Bahrain to support the UAE national football team in the final game of the 21st GCC Soccer Cup Championship, to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Friday.
Etihad will offer just over 250 seats from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain and 380 seats out of Bahrain back Abu Dhabi.
Wam
Du’s second plane for UAE fans
DUBAI – du has announced the allocation of a second plane to take a further 280 loyal Emirati customers to Bahrain, to support the UAE national team in the final of the Gulf Cup of Nations.
In response to huge demand from its customers and with the addition of the extra charter flight, du will now fly a total of 630 fans to Bahrain.
Farid Faraidooni expressed his wishes for the UAE to come back as the winners. “We are very happy with the response we’ve received from our customers for this initiative, and wanted to give even more UAE nationals the chance to support our team.”
Emirates NBD funds trip to Bahrain
DUBAI – Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today that it is sponsoring an airplane for UAE football fans to attend the UAE Iraq final match of the 21st Gulf Cup in Manama, Bahrain, on Friday.
“Passion for sport is a high priority at Emirates NBD, and when it comes to football and a question of national pride, we want to be right there to support the UAE team in any way we can,” said Saif Al Mansoori, deputy head – group marketing branding, Emirates NBD.
All arrangements regarding the flight to and from Bahrain, transportation to and from the stadium and entry into the stadium will be handled by Emirates NBD. The aircraft will depart from Dubai airport on Friday afternoon and will return the same night after the game.