match to distribute for home fans, as a way to cheer the spirit of the United Arab Emirates, meaning that Qatar had to face an entirely hostile crowd. This had generated controversy as the United Arab Emirates were attempting to politicize the match, given the earlier crisis in the relations between two countries. Match Summary First half The match started strongly for the United Arab Emirates, as Qatar looked a little nervous at early minutes. However, as usual, first ten minutes saw the Qatari defenders and goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb played solidly against the might of Ali Mabkhout, currently the best player of the United Arab Emirates. After the first ten minutes, Qatar regained the note and pressed the United Arab Emirates to defense. Salem Al Hajri had a chance to finish off Khalid Eisa, but was unsuccessful. Pressure mounted on the Emirati defenders in the next ten minutes. It didn't take long for Qatar to take the lead. At the 22nd minute, Boualem Khoukhi’s angled drive from 18 yards found its way under Khalid Eisa’s dive and into the net, stunning home fans with a 1–0 lead. Undeterred, the UAE responded through an Ismail Al Hammadi header which was saved by Saad Al Sheeb and a similar effort from Ali Mabkhout that fizzed wide of the target shortly before the half-hour mark. Qatar had a chance in the corner kick provided by Akram Afif, but it was to no avail. Not to wait long, Qatar doubled their lead in the 38th minute. Akram Afif found Almoez Ali who advanced into the area before firing home via a post to equal Ali Daei’s record for the most goals by a player at Asia's premier event, silenced home fans for the second times. At 42', Tarek Salman took down Mabkhout in the penalty area, but the UAE were denied a penalty as Tarek's pressure was not enough. In 45', the UAE missed another free kick opportunity to end the first half with a two-goal deficit. Second half The second half saw veteran Ismail Matar replacing Amer Abdulrahman. In 52', Al Sheeb denied a clear strike by Mabkhout to maintain the two-goal lead for Qatar. The Qatari defenders, in order to protect the score, caused numerous fouls outside the penalty area and provided significant problems for the Emiratis, resulting in a yellow card for Karim Boudiaf. In 68', Tarek Salman suffered a minor