UAE's World Cup hopes back in the balance after Iraq setback

Defeat to Iraq in Riyadh left the UAE’s World Cup play-off hopes hanging in the balance.

Granted, the national team occupy still that vaunted third spot in Group A, but with South Korea to come in the closer next week, they look nervously over their shoulder and towards other results.

On Thursday night, the UAE and new manager Rodolfo Arrubarrena were outdone 1-0 at the King Fahd Stadium, Hussein Ali’s strike eight minutes into the second half proving decisive.

With one round of fixtures remaining, the UAE sit in pole in this belatedly frantic race for the play-offs, but now only one point above their latest conquerors and three ahead of fifth-placed Lebanon. While the latter travel to face group leaders Iran on Tuesday, Iraq make the trip to bottom side Syria. The UAE host second-placed – and already qualified – South Korea in Dubai. It promises to be tense and trying.

Before kick-off in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, the UAE had been granted a massive boost. They went into the relocated match – it was until last week to be played in Baghdad - knowing a draw would be enough. The earlier contest between Lebanon and Syria in Sidon had finished in a shock 3-0 defeat to the hosts, meaning the UAE required only a point to book a play-off against Australia this summer.

But it never came. Arruabarrena’s bow was blighted. Appointed last month as successor to Bert van Marwijk, the Argentine was admittedly hamstrung by a number of key absences, chief among them Abdullah Ramadan, Tahnoun Al Zaabi and Fabio De Lima. Clearly, the trio would have provided his side much more of a creative spark.

Instead, Arruabarrena plumped for a change in formation to include three centre-backs; as a result, his team lacked not only genuine attacking