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Dubai (AFP) – The UAE consolidated its third position in the first group of the decisive third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in football, by defeating its guest Syria 2-0 Thursday in Dubai in the seventh round.
Cayo Canedo (43) and Yahya Al Ghassani (70) scored the Emirates goals.
“Al-Abyad” raised its score to 9 points, 4 points ahead of the fourth Lebanon, which lost at home 0-1 once morest South Korea, and 5 for Iraq, which lost once morest its Iranian host, also 0-1, while Syria remained in the last sixth place with two points.
With Iran ensuring its official qualification to the finals and South Korea approaching the second place, the struggle for the third place that qualifies for an Asian and international playoff has become the goal of the other group teams.
The owner of the land challenged the absences on his way to achieve his second victory in a row, following he defeated Lebanon 1-0 also in the sixth round, and the first at home in the decisive round following defeat and two draws.
The Emirates played the match in the absence of its most prominent scorers, Ali Mabkhout and Fabio Lima due to injury, and Sebastian Taliaboye remained on the bench following Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk relied on Caio Canedo, who was at the good thought with a goal and a decisive pass.
For his part, Syria’s Romanian coach Tetsa Valerio pushed the attacking trio Omar Al-Soma, Omar Khribin and Mahmoud Al-Mawas, however, he might not pose any significant danger to the Emirates goalkeeper Ali Khaseef.
The Emirates began to pressure early, and Ibrahim Alama, who is back in the Syrian goalkeeper, sent a dangerous ball away before it reached Tahnoun Al Zaabi (25).
Then Alama intervened once more two minutes later to block Ali Saleh’s shot before defender Amr Al-Maidani (27) dispersed it.
The pressure of the Emirates resulted in the opening of the scoring following Khalil Ibrahim penetrated following receiving a ball from a throw-in to send a cross to Kanedo, which he followed with his head in the net of a scientist (43).
And the second “Al-Abyad” added, following Al-Ghasani grabbed the first ball he touched following entering as a substitute for Khalil Al-Hammadi, the ball from the middle of the field and passed it to Kanedo, who returned it to him and hit it easily in the net. The referee canceled it first for offside before calculating it following returning to the VAR (70).
© 2022 AFP
