KUALA LUMPUR // Mohanad Salem and Ismail Ahmed both hesitated, if only for a second, allowing the ball to bounce and Lee Yong-jae to escape, before the South Korean striker drilled the ball under Khalid Essa in the UAE goal.
Al Ain’s defensive duo, usually so solid for club and country, had gifted their opponents a second at the Shah Alam Stadium on a hot and humid evening in the Malaysian capital, when initially there seemed little capital gain for Mahdi Ali’s side. Before the night was out, South Korea added another.
A 3-0 defeat will rankle, in spite of the match being deemed a friendly, yet it was the performance that would give greater cause for concern ahead of a more significant assignment next week.
On Tuesday, the UAE begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against East Timor. Granted, a team ranked 146th in the world by Fifa should provide minimum discomfort, certainly not to the extent South Korea did, but this will have reminded the UAE that serious works needs to be done in the interim.
Against the Asian Cup runners-up, the Emiratis were sluggish and slapdash, clearly struggling to shake the rust accumulated during the past five months. A first match since January was also their final fixture before they begin the road to Russia, a path that promises to be fraught with danger across the next two years.
The UAE were largely second best on their return to action, outplayed by a crafty Korea side who were equally robust and resourceful. In particular, Lee Jae-sung shone, while Son Heung-min, the country’s footballing pin-up easily distinguishable by his dyed-brown hair, enjoyed a comfortable first half before being withdrawn.
For the UAE, there were few highlights. The Abdulrahmans, Omar and Amer, failed to display any of their usual artistry – the latter, uncharacteristically slack in possession, was substituted at half time. By then, the UAE were 1-0 down to Yeom Ki-hun’s free kick just before the break. Truth be told, their rivals should have already run away from them.
After Lee doubled the advantage on 59 minutes, Lee Jung-hyup rounded off the result moments from the final whistle. When it sounded, the UAE retreated into the night knowing they need to regroup on return to training on Saturday.
It must be noted that Mahdi Ali experimented somewhat, starting the match with debutants Amer Omar and Bander Al Ahbabi. Neither truly affected proceedings, although they had plenty of company. Deputising for Majed Naser, Essa looked shaky throughout, although he exhibited fine reflexes to originally keep the Koreans at bay.
More changes arrived at the beginning of the second half, with winger Ismail Al Hammadi typically lively. If only his teammates had followed suit. Given the circumstances, though, not too much should be read into the reverse, but make no mistake: this still stung.
The UAE proved in January that they are a force at this level, concluding the tournament as officially the continent’s third best side. At present, they are some way short of that. Admittedly, it has been an arduous season both domestically and internationally for a chunk of the squad; Al Ahli, President’s Cup finalists one week previously, comprise more than a quarter of the group.
Meanwhile, Ali Mabkhout, top scorer at the Asian Cup, was not even risked against Korea, since he has only recently recovered from injury.
Thankfully, then, that Tuesday throws up East Timor and not Saudi Arabia, or even Palestine. Those lie in wait when Group A resumes from September.
By then, and despite last night’s disappointment, the UAE can expect to have three points on the board.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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