Asian Cup R16 Match: Hosts Breeze Past Iraq Into Quarter Finals

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

Asian Cup Round of 16 Match: UAE v Iraq

Hosts Breeze Past Iraq Into Quarter Finals

January 18th, 2020

UAE 3 Iraq 0

 

The United Arab Emirates have continued their dominance in the Asian Cup with a comprehensive three-nil win over Iraq.

 

The hosts looked the better side early, with possession going their way. Abdalla Ramadan then won the ball off his counter marker and set up Ismail Al Hammadi, only for the Iraqi goalkeeper, Mohammed Hameed to save the shot.

 

The next twenty minutes were a series of 50-50 chances, eventually falling the way of the Emirates. From a corner, Ramadan leapt above the rest and nailed the opening goal.

 

The UAE side then worked down the left, trying to find another weakness in the Iraqi armour. Mohamad Al Attas had a shot from long range after the clearance only made it just outside the box. Again, Hameed was up to the task. However, the Al Attas pass from the corner found Omar Abdulrahman, and he made no mistake in heading home a second.

 

After the break, the hosts backed off slightly, giving Iraq more time in their attacking half. However, Ahmed Khalil was found alone down the other end, only for Hameed to close him down before any further damage was done to the scoreline.

 

Khalil instead found Al Hammadi’s head, thus ensuring the victory and progression to the Quarter Finals.

 

Iraq fought hard in the middle of the park for the rest of the match but failed to materialise into any shot, and thus were eliminated.

 

Meanwhile, the UAE will take on the winner of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

 

Important aspects of the match:

Zero shots for Iraq.

The UAE had one-third the amount of tackles of Iraq and 11% better passing accuracy.

 

UAE’s best: Al Attas with his two assists and most passes overall; Ramadan with his goal and most tackles for the UAE; Walid Abbas in central defence.

Bandar Al Ahbabi and Khalil with equal most dribbles for their team.

Yousif Jaber with three key clearances and two intercepts.

Khalifa Mubarak with three key intercepts and two clearances.

 

Iraq’s best: Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf in right central defence with equal most passes for Iraq and equal most tackles for the match, as well as three key intercepts and two clearances; Ali Faez as right wing back.

Ali Husni in defensive midfield with equal most passes for Iraq and most dribbles and equal most tackles for the match.

Rebin Sulaka with three key clearances, an intercept and a block.

Saad Natiq with two key intercepts and two clearances.