The UAE national team achieved its first victory in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers, winning against Lebanon with a score of 1-0, with the goal scored by Ali Mabkhout from a penalty kick. The UAE team has played 6 matches in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers, earning 6 points and temporarily rising to third place behind the leaders Iran (13 points) and second-placed South Korea (11 points).
This report by "Al Ain Sports" highlights the most significant moments from the UAE-Lebanon match in the sixth round of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
**First Victory**
The UAE team secured its first win in the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon in the sixth round. The UAE team had played 5 previous matches, managing only 3 draws and 2 losses, before achieving its first win on Tuesday evening. The UAE team aims to qualify directly for the World Cup finals, or at least through the playoff round, given the points gap with Iran and South Korea.
**Curse of Last-Minute Goals**
For the second consecutive match, Lebanon suffered a loss in the dying minutes of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers. The UAE team scored the lone winning goal in the 85th minute from a penalty taken by Ali Mabkhout. In the previous round, Lebanon lost to Iran 1-2 in the last moments, where Iran equalized in the 90th minute before scoring the winning goal in the 95th.
**Top Scorer in Asian World Cup Qualifiers**
UAE star Ali Mabkhout continued his impressive scoring record in the qualifiers, bringing his total to 14 goals. He netted the winning goal for his team against Lebanon, maintaining his lead as the top scorer in the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Mabkhout outscored China's Wu Lei, Syria's Omar Al-Soma, and Japan's Yuya Osako, who each have 9 goals.
**Negative Preparations for the Arab Cup**
Lebanon's loss in this match marks their second defeat in November in the World Cup qualifiers, following the loss to Iran. Lebanon is preparing for the Arab Cup, which kicks off at the end of this month in Qatar. The Lebanese team is placed in Group D alongside Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan.
