The UAE national football team exited the 2021 Arab Cup after suffering a heavy defeat, losing 5-0 to the Qatari team on Friday at Al Bayt Stadium. This victory propelled the Qatari team into the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the match between Morocco and Algeria scheduled for Saturday.
The Emirates team faced critical mistakes and a collapse in defense during the first half, during which goalkeeper Ali Khaseef conceded five unanswered goals. Qatar took the lead early with an own goal by Ali Salem in the sixth minute while attempting to rectify a critical error by defender Mohannad Al-Anzi after he failed to clear a shot from Qatar player Akram Afif.
The Qatari team added their second goal from a penalty, caused by defender Mahmoud Khamis, converted by Almoez Ali in the 28th minute. They scored their third goal also via a penalty in the 36th minute, awarded after reviewing the incident with VAR, due to a foul by goalkeeper Ali Khaseef. Abdulaziz Hatim scored the fourth goal in the 44th minute, and Almoez Ali concluded the first half with the fifth goal in the 45th minute.
The UAE team struggled significantly during the match, especially in the first half, despite modest attempts from players like Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, and Tigali, which lacked focus. Forward Sebastien Tigali made his second consecutive start for the UAE national team.
Coach Bert van Marwijk's substitutions at the start of the second half, introducing Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalil Al-Hamadi, Ali Mabkhout, and Mohammed Jumaa, failed to help the team find the net. In the last minutes, Khalil Al-Hamadi had a chance that was saved by the Qatari goalkeeper, and subsequent attacks by the UAE were unable to result in a goal, ending the match with Qatar winning 5-0.
