SYDNEY // Mahdi Ali said a raft of injuries had conspired to make the UAE’s two matches in the space of five days against two of Asian football’s biggest powers, Japan and Australia, a mission impossible.
The manager, who resigned after the UAE lost 2-0 to Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium, said that 14 players were absent when the side first met up ahead of Thursday's game against Japan in Al Ain.
He made five changes to his starting line up in Sydney, and a disjointed national team were soundly beaten.
“We did not even train for one session with a full team before the Japan game,” Mahdi Ali said. “We came here, and had a full team training only one day. Some players were sick, some other players did not play for a long time.
“For the conditions we suffered, we could not do better than that. It was difficult to prepare the team for such a big game against Australia.”
Mahdi Ali has not ruled out the UAE’s chances of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia, even though he will not be part of their future.
With three matches left and nine points to play for, the national team are still mathematically able to catch each of the three teams above them – Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia.
“We were very optimistic to at least get one point, but after this game it will be very difficult for us,” the outgoing manager said. “We dreamed about this for a long time, but we suffered today and lost that match. It is very difficult for us to qualify, but you never know. This is football.
“For the past two weeks, we suffered a lot. Today, Australia were the better side. I don’t want to look for excuses. We tried our best with the conditions we have. Australia were the better side.”
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More from Sydney
■ Analysis: Mahdi Ali can be proud of achievements
■ Mahdi Ali: 'I did my best' says outgoing manager
■ In pictures: Memorable moments from Sydney game
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One of Australia’s star turns was the UAE-based midfielder Mark Milligan. An injury to Massimo Luongo on the eve of the match meant the Baniyas player was reinstalled into the home side’s midfield, having played in an unaccustomed role of central defence against Iraq last week.
He excelled in blunting the attacking threat of the likes of Omar Abdulrahman and Ahmed Khalil, earning praise from Ange Postecoglou, the Australia manager.
“We knew their threat was going to be the transition, if we gave the ball away,” Postecoglou said. “They have really dangerous players who can hurt you. Milligan and Mile [Jedinak] did a good job in nullifying that.
“[Milligan] is very brave, he asked for it in tight areas. We only made the decision to move him in there late yesterday because Massimo pulled up sore. He did very well.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Oppenheimer
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
