Mabkhout and Ramadan strike to earn UAE important World Cup qualifying win in Bahrain

The first major, some would say contentious, decision of the Paulo Bento era arrived in his second competitive match.

When team news emerged from Riffa on Tuesday evening, around an hour prior to the UAE’s 2026 World Cup qualifier with Bahrain, Ali Mabkhout was absent from the starting line-up. Fabio De Lima, too.

The duo, two of the top scorers in the history of the UAE top-flight, had contributed three of the national team’s goals in last Thursday's 4-0 victory against Nepal in the second-round opener in Dubai. With a double, Mabkhout took the bragging rights – no doubt amicable – on the night between teammates.

No one, though, can lay claim to the Al Jazira striker in the all-time stakes. With 83 international goals, Mabkhout sits way out as the UAE’s record goalscorer. On Thursday, in what marked Bento’s first official match in his new role, Mabkhout was chosen as captain.

Five days later, for most probably the UAE’s toughest Group H assignment, he wasn’t selected to start. Bento had hinted as much after the Nepal rout, when the former Portugal and South Korea manager reminded that the collective would always prevail over the individual; Mabkhout, he said, may find himself relegated to the bench if deemed necessary.

So, at the Bahrain National Stadium on Tuesday, Bento put his words into action. In Mabkhout’s place, he opted for Sultan Adil, the precocious Ittihad Kalba frontman who, at 19, was making his competitive full debut for his country.

To be fair, Adil has clearly impressed Bento already; last month, he netted the stoppage-time winner in a friendly against Lebanon.

Still, the omission of Mabkhout, and Lima, surprised. Thankfully for Bento and the UAE, it did not matter. Indeed, it could be considered a