Ahmed Eltigani
Following Qatar’s 1-0 victory over Bahrain, UAE and Syria
took the stage to show their mettle in a high octane match which saw the UAE
triumph over Syria 2-1.
UAE’s Caio Canedo opened the scoresheet with a brilliant run
into the box to finish a cross from Bandar with a header in the 24th
minute. UAE’s second goal followed shortly after in the 30th minute
with a driven strike from Ali Saleh targeting the right corner of the net to
bring his team 2 goals ahead of Syria, who answered with a goal of their own in
the 60th minute with a strike from Ward Alslamh stemming from a
defensive error from the UAE side.
With Bert van Marwijk leading the team it was no surprise
that the Syrian side would fight vigorously in attempts to equalize, as the Dutch
veteran coach led the Netherlands to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. UAE will
now prepare for their next Group B fixture against Tunisia on the 6th
at the Al Thumama Stadium.