Sebastian Tagliabue scores on debut but Jorge Luis Pinto tastes defeat in first game in charge of UAE

Uzbekistan claim 2-1 win in friendly at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai

Sebastian Tagliabue during training with the UAE national team. Courtesy UAE FA

Jorge Luis Pinto's first game in charge of the UAE ended in defeat to Uzbekistan 2-1 in their friendly at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Monday.

Shokhruz Norkhonov found the net twice for the visitors in the second half before the UAE’s Argentine-born striker Sebastian Tagliabue scored on his debut from a penalty in added time.

Norkhonov broke the deadlock with an opportunist goal. He scored after the ball fell into his path following defender Khamis Ismail’s failed clearance attempt.

Khalid Essa, who foiled Norkhonov twice from getting into the scorecard in the first half, had no chance in stopping the Uzbek forward the third time.

Earlier, Essa had first charged forward to smother Norkhonov's first effort on 11 minutes and then blocked a close range shot at the half-hour mark.

In between, he nearly let one slip out of his hands from an Akmal Mozgovoy shot from outside the area.

At the other end, Khalil Ibrahim’s effort rolled across the far post and Mohammed Marzouq’s lunging header off a corner fell wide in the first half of play.