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UAE 2-0 New Zealand: The Whites clinch the OSN Cup
The UAE continued their impressive run of form by defeating New Zealand 2-0 in the final of the OSN Cup in Riyadh on Monday night.
The UAE are currently on a 12-game winning run – extra-time and penalty victories included – which stretches back to last year and incorporates their Gulf Cup of Nations success in February.
And on Monday night, goals in each half from Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout ensured the Whites will go into their Asian Cup qualifiers next month against Malaysia and Hong Kong in high spirits.
Gone were the defensive woes that have often marred the UAE’s impressive attacking displays, to be replaced by an organised pressing game that restricted New Zealand to a handful of aerial attempts.
The attacking quartet of Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Al Hammadi, Khalil, and Mabkhout are genuinely exciting to watch and caused constant problems throughout with their pace, passing, and movement.
The match was barely 10 minutes old when the UAE opened the scoring. Abdulrahman received the ball on the edge of the area before doing superbly to wriggle away from three New Zealand markers.
The Al Ain playmaker then squared to Habib Fardan, who clipped a delightful pass into the area, splitting the New Zealand centre-half pairing and finding an unmarked Mabkhout.
With the angle too tight to take a shot, Mabkhout laid the ball onto Khalil unmarked on the penalty spot and the Al Ahli striker calmly side-footed between the legs of Andrew Durante and into the back of the net.
The Whites continued to look the more threatening, with Abdulrahman the fulcrum for much of the UAE’s attacking intent, but New Zealand almost made their height advantage count on 20 minutes with a header that clanged the crossbar.
UAE goalkeeper Ali Khaseif then produced a stunning save on the half hour mark to keep out a Winston Reid header from point blank range.
Despite a couple of close-shaves, the UAE were good value for their lead heading into the half time interval.
After the break, the UAE continued to look menacing on the break and 11 minutes into the second half they doubled their lead in such a fashion.
Once again, Abdulrahman was the orchestrator, sliding a perfectly-weighted pass with the outside of his left foot into the path of a marauding Mabkhout cutting in from the left. The Al Jazira striker took one touch, picked his spot, and guided a curling shot into the top corner.
New Zealand could have forced their way immediately back into the contest but a tame header bounced past Khaseif’s far post.
They may have had a two-goal cushion, but the UAE maintained their intensity – perhaps wary of the defensive lapses they suffered against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
New Zealand tried to find a way through a resilient UAE back-line, but their efforts proved in vain.
To make matters worse for the All Whites, defender Ben Sigmund was given a straight red for a brainless two-footed stamp on Mabkhout in injury time.
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