Youngster Sultan Adil steps up as UAE given stern test by Hong Kong in Asian Cup opener

When it comes to tournament football, winning is all that matters. At least that will be the line from the UAE after an edgy 3-1 victory over Hong Kong in their Asian Cup opener on Sunday night.

As group stage starts go, Hong Kong, ranked 150th in the world by Fifa, is about as kind as it gets. Yet this UAE side is a work in progress under Paulo Bento, the Portuguese coach only appointed in July, and their unheralded opponents undoubtedly raised their game for the big occasion.

That made for an uncomfortable night for Bento and his team at the Khalifa International Stadium, with the result in the balance right up to the 95th minute when substitute Yahya Al Ghassani won and then converted his team's second penalty of the game. Even then, the UAE had to nervously watch as Hong Kong had a goal chalked off as second-half stoppage time lurched into double figures.

The UAE's first penalty of the night had also been scored by the man who won it – Sultan Adil, the promising centre-forward given the nod ahead of his nation's 85-goal all-time record scorer Ali Mabkhout.

Philip Chan levelled matters early in the second half, and while Zayed Sultan promptly restored the UAE's lead, they were never able to fully shake off a Hong Kong side eager to inflict the tournament's first shock result.

Bento had spoken pre-match about his faith in a cluster of emerging talent called up for the tournament, and that faith was evident in his selection for the opening match of Group C.

Al Jazira's Khalifa Al Hammadi, at just 25, was the veteran of a youthful back-line, while Bento's most eye-catching pick came up front where the 19-year-old Adil was preferred to the legendary Mabkhout.

Ali Kasheif gathers #UAE squad in huddle in front of supporters