FA chief Rumaithi hails team's Tehran show

[sajid]

UAE Football Association (UAEFA) chief, Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, was happy with the result of his team's match against Iran. However, he was not pleased with the fact that South Korean referee Gi Young Lee denied the UAE what looked like a certain penalty.

"One point from Tehran is good result, but we could have done better still, bearing in mind that the referee denied us a definite penalty after Iran libero fouled Esmail [Mattar] inside the penalty box in the second half. The penalty could have changed the result, specially since the referee ought to have also sent off the Iran libero."

The incident happened in the 59th minute when Basheer Saeed sent a long ball behind the defenders. Mattar was in control and he moved inside the box, but Hadi Aghily fouled him from behind. But surprisingly, referee Lee signalled for continuation of play amid protests from the UAE players.

"We have to forget this result and start preparing [afresh] for the return leg on Saturday. We are confident that our team will do their best to reach the second round of qualifiers.

"We also feel confident that our loyal fans will attend the match and support the players," Al Rumaithi added.

UAE captain Abdul Rahim Jumaa said: "Winning a point in Tehran was not an easy task. My teammates played with bravery and determination and deserved the result. The draw in Tehran is a huge motivation for us in the return leg in Al Ain on Saturday to do better."

Saleh Obaid, the UAE left full-back, praised the fighting spirit of his teammates: "We fought like tigers to prevent them from winning the match.