After agonising wait, UAE must embrace play-off pressure to book elusive World Cup spot

The last time the UAE were this close to participating at a World Cup, manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena had just helped Villarreal finish seventh on their return to La Liga - from his position at left-back.

Omar Abdulrahman was a long way from the beginning of his celebrated career with Al Ain, and had presumably not by then dreamed he would one day be crowned the best footballer in Asia. Caio Canedo, the Brazil-born forward, was settling into pre-teenage life in the United States having made the move with family from Rio de Janeiro to Massachusetts.

Harib Abdallah, the scorer of the goal in March that propelled the UAE to this point, was not even born.

And that underlines the rarity of the opportunity that confronts the UAE in Qatar on Tuesday. The country has not contested a play-off to reach the World Cup since 2001; back then, with modest Dutchman Tiny Ruys as manager, the UAE lost the two-legged tie against Iran 4-0 on aggregate, and their quest to qualify for a second global finals again extended. More than two decades on, it sustains.

This past week, as the UAE have trained in Doha in preparation for Australia, the long wait for a first participation at football’s marquee tournament has been very much at the forefront of minds. How could it not? With each failed World Cup cycle, the want to emulate the feted side of 1990 intensifies.

Now, the UAE stand two matches from halting 32 years of disappointment. Two matches. Defeat Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, then Peru await next week to engage for a precious place at Qatar 2022. Thirty teams have qualified already; two slots remain.

The UAE's Harib Abdullah celebrates scoring the only goal of the game against South Korea in the World Cup qualifier at