Doha, Oct 12 (IANS) United Arab Emirates beat Oman 2-1 in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers to ensure a draw against Qatar will qualify them for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1990.

United Arab Emirates snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to make themselves favourites for Group A’s automatic ticket to the FIFA World Cup 26.

Marcus Meloni and Caio struck late to put United Arab Emirates in the driving seat to grab Group A’s automatic ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The UAE now sits top of Group A heading into the final round of matches on Tuesday, where a draw in will send them to a first global finals in 36 years, while Qatar require victory to get there.

Oman must now hope UAE win in order to stay alive and go into the fifth round of Asian qualifying.

Oman went ahead in fortuitous circumstances in Al Rayyan, Autonne Kouame inadvertently turning Amjad Al Harthi’s fierce cross into his own net. UAE dominated play thereafter, but struggled to create any meaningful opportunities until a wild last 20 minutes.

Cosmin Olaroiu’s charges were awarded a penalty for a foul on substitute Ali Saleh, but then saw it overturned after a VAR review. It only temporarily preserved Oman’s advantage, with Meloni heading home a Saleh centre.

Oman then had two huge chances, Khalid Eisa denying Abdulrahman Al Mushaifri from yards out before Nasser Al Rawahi fired narrowly wide, and they were punished when Caio’s cross deceived everyone and went in. Carlos Queiroz’s side had one final shot, but Khalid Eisa produced a superb save to deny Ali Al Busaidi.

Head coach Cosmin Olaroiu, who took charge of UAE after leading Sharjah FC to the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 title in May, said UAE’s performance before the break forced his hand going into the second half.

“I was forced to make a complete technical change at the beginning of the second half to change the players’ mentality and achieve victory,” said Olaroiu, who sent on Caio Canedo, Yahia Nader and Harib Abdalla to boost his side’s potency.

–IANS

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