Qatar were held to a 1-1 draw by the UAE in Jeddah to finish second in Group B of the Arabian Gulf Cup and set up a semi-final clash against hosts Saudi Arabia.
Qatar took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Almoez Ali met Jassim Jaber’s pinpoint cross with a neat first-time finish from close range. It was his first international goal in almost two years, having last scored against Oman at the Gulf Cup in December 2024.
The goal came against the run of play, with the UAE having dominated from the opening minutes. They deservedly equalised just before the break after Abdulaziz Hatem, who had replaced the injured Mohamed Manai only minutes earlier, failed to clear Khaled Al-Dhanhani’s cross. Ali Saleh was given time on the edge of the box to control the ball and fire through Ayoub Al-Aloui’s legs into the bottom corner.
The UAE almost went ahead shortly after the restart when Al Dhanhani was left unmarked to head Fabio Lima’s free-kick straight at goalkeeper Mahmoud Abu Nada.
Qatar moved the ball well in their own half but struggled to turn possession into a threat and were increasingly pinned back as the match progressed.
The introductions of Bruno Oliveira and Guilherme Bala gave the UAE a greater attacking threat, with Bala’s quick feet causing constant problems for the Qatari defence. As the pressure mounted, Qatar struggled to get beyond the halfway line and conceded several free-kicks in dangerous positions, while crosses continued to cause problems for their defence.
Substitute Ousmane Camara headed Saleh’s cross wide, before Bala worked his way through the Qatar defence with a skilful run, only for Abu Nada to block his powerful shot.
Qatar will face Saudi Arabia in the first semifinal on Saturday at Alinma Stadium, before the UAE take on Oman at Al Faisal Stadium.
Qatar
Mahmud Abunada
Ayoub Al Oui
Naif Al-Hadhrami 77′
Pedro Miguel
Boualem Khoukhi 46′
Tarek Salman
Homam Elamin
Mohamed Al-Mannai
Abdulaziz Hatem 41′
Ahmed Fathi
Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid 86′
Jassem Gaber
Ahmed Al Ganehi
Almoez Ali
Edmílson Junior
Karim Boudiaf 77′
UAE
Hamad Al-Meqbaali
Khaled Aldhanhani
Zayed Sultan 67′
Khalifa Al Hammadi
Saša Ivković
Richard Akonnor
Abdulla Hamad Salmeen
Luanzinho
Erik 78′
Harib Abdalla Suhail
Bruno Oliveira 58′
Fábio Lima
Guilherme Bala 58′
Ali Saleh
Sultan Adill Alamiri
Ousmane Camara 67′
