Sultan Adil breathed life into the UAE’s flagging automatic World Cup qualification hopes with a dramatic stoppage time winner against North Korea in Saudi Arabia.
The substitute, who is only just back after a long-term spell out with injury, headed home from a Harib Abdalla cross to send the away side into delirium. It set the seal on a tense 2-1 win that keeps the national team in the hunt for a top two finish in the group.
It moves them to within four points of second-placed Uzbekistan in the pool, with two matches left to play, both in June.
The UAE host Uzbekistan in the penultimate match. They need to win that, then beat Kyrgyzstan in their final match, then hope the Uzbeks drop points against Qatar in their last game.
It was nominally a home match for the Koreans but it did not feel like it. On neutral territory in Riyadh, the atmosphere was eerie rather than partisan.
There were more security personnel than spectators inside the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. That said, there was a voluble contingent of UAE supporters who had made the trip.
As they sang and chanted, a small group of western spectators gravitated towards them and swayed along to the songs.
One of them was wearing a Brazil shirt, so it made sense they were backing the UAE. There were six players in the UAE starting XI of Brazilian origin, including all four on the forward line. Even though they have only just started playing together at this level, they were in sync from the start.
The last time these sides met, near the start of this pool stage, the UAE were shocked by the speed and energy of the North Koreans. They were lucky to gain a 1-1 draw in Al Ain.
They were forewarned this time and it showed in the rapid start they made.
Luanzinho was handed a debut, five days after missing out on the loss in Iran.
The Sharjah forward replaced Yahya Al Ghassani on the left side of the attack. Jonatas Santos, who had made his debut off the bench against Iran, started on the right in place of Harib Abdalla – who was switched instead to left back.
Caio Lucas, who also made his debut in Iran last week, was again the point of the attack.
It was the longest serving of the naturalised Brazilians who made the most tangible impact in the UAE’s bright start. Fabio Lima stole in to score the opener in the fifth minute.
Al Wasl's No 10 had been curiously absent from the starting line up in the UAE’s 2-0 loss in Tehran. After all, he had scored four goals in the thrashing of Qatar the last time they had played a qualifier.
Maybe Paulo Bento, the UAE coach, was preserving him for this challenge instead. De Lima was prominent in a far more attacking display than they managed in the cagey, turgid effort against Iran.
All the positivity dissipated – and the travelling fans were silenced – on the brink of half time, when the North Koreans levelled. Kim Yu-song headed the goal as the national team failed to deal with a corner.
Adil, a player whose absence through injury from the first six games prompted great angst for coach Bento, was introduced at half-time in place of Santos. It gave the UAE a greater physical presence up front.
They had the ball in the goal shortly after the interval, but Luanzinho’s tap in was ruled out for offside.
The UAE dominated possession for almost the entirety of the second phase, but all it earned them mostly was frustration. The Koreans were doughty in defence, and provided a threat on the counter-attack, too.
A shot from distance by Abdullah Ramadan, and an overhead kick from the ensuing save by Lucas Pimenta, were the only times the side in white threatened a second goal.
It felt as though the chance was gone, only for Adil to launch himself heroically at Abdalla's cross in the dying moments.
