UAE battle past Malaysia

Date

11/17/2015 11:35:08 PM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

It rained in Kuala Lumpur but it didn't rain goals for the UAE.

Nevertheless the Whites battled a soggy pitch and a gritty Malaysia at an empty Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur to come away with a 2-1 win in their Group A World Cup Qualifier on Tuesday night.

Torrential rains meant the UAE had to encounter tough underfoot conditions with shards of grass strewn around because of the many challenges. And the UAE couldn't get a massive chunk of goals like they did in the home fixture in September against the Malaysians.

Omar Abdulrahman returning from suspension after missing the home game against Timor Leste capitalised on a defensive blunder to break the deadlock on 2 minutes. Striker Ahmed Khalil then scored his 10th goal of the campaign on 52 minutes.

Malaysia who made five changes to the squad that lost to Palestine last week showed no signs of fear and pulled one back through Baddrol bin Bakhtiar seven minutes after Khalil's goal to make things interesting. But the Whites held on for their fourth victory in six matches. This was not the same Malaysia which had turned out against the UAE at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium two months ago where they were walloped 10-0.

Under caretaker coach Ong Kim Swee who took charge after Dollah Salleh's resignation the Malaysians have show marked improvement. They lost 3-0 to heavyweights Saudi Arabia before notching their first win against Timor Leste a 1-0 victory. And though Malaysia were blanked 6-0 by Palestine they are a better organised unit now.

Despite a nervous start Malaysia managed to keep the UAE at bay for close to 22 minutes before a defensive lapse allowed the UAE to go ahead.

Mohammed Azammuddin hung on too long with the ball and when he finally made the clearance it fell in Omar's path. And the playmaker unleashed his trademark left-footer to whip it into the far corner of the net.

A brave Malaysia ventured out and made a sortie at the other end as the game headed into the half-hour but couldn't get the finishing touch quite right.

The UAE could have doubled the lead on 38 minutes when Ali Ahmed Mabkhout and Khalil played a one-two inside the box and managed to hoodwink the defence. But Mabkhout's final pass was a bit too wide for Khalil to get to and the goalkeeper Mohammed Izham Tarmizi had it covered.

The Whites though added a much-needed cushion to that lead after the break with Khalil scoring his fifth goal in two games. The Al Ahli striker who fired four against Timor Leste last time out broke the offside trap and tapped it into an open goal after Omar had sent a clever chip over the defence.

The Malaysians reduced the margin from a set piece as the game headed towards the hour. Captain Safiq bin Rahim sent an inch perfect freekick from the edge of the box and Baddrol bin Bakhtiar recalled by coach Ong headed it home.

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