Ali tells U20s to learn from their mistake

Mahdi Ali, the coach of UAE's World Cup-bound Under 20 team, hopes his players have learnt the virtues of respecting every opponent after the 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly match. The U20s, who have a training camp in the Turkish city of Antalya ahead of the U20 World Cup that starts in Egypt on September 24, were 2-0 down after 21 minutes before Ahmed Khalil pulled one back six minutes into the second half. The UAE play Cameroon today and Mahdi said: "This was our first game here and I think we probably achieved our objectives, in terms of fitness and fighting spirit.

"The match also exposed areas where we still have work to do. I am sure the players learnt about the importance of respecting every opponent. I think they did not take Trinidad seriously enough at the start."