They came to see the new golden boy of Gulf football, but it was one of its golden oldies who proved the outstanding player in this stalemate between the UAE and Oman.
Omar Abdulrahman did not exactly disappoint, but it was 32-year-old Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi who ensured that his team left with a hard-earned draw and deprived the defending champions from kicking off with a win.
Al Habsi, the captain of Paul Le Guen's youthful team, was in the kind of form that in the past won him four "best goalkeeper" awards at Gulf Cups. The UAE attack, it must be said, continued to look blunt.
Abdulrahman, subdued at first on the right wing, increasingly took charge of the midfield as he started to roam the midfield spaces. Yet on the few occasions the UAE managed anything resembling a scoring chance, Al Habsi proved he remains one of the finest footballers in the region.
On 17 minutes, the man who scored the last, and winning, goal for the UAE in last year’s Gulf Cup almost scored the first of their campaign this time.
Ismail Al Hamadi, one of the UAE’s best players on the night, struck a firm, low right-foot volley only for Al Habsi to save expertly down to his left.
Al Habsi again kept the score level when he saved from an Ahmed Khalil free kick after Abdulrahman had been brought down.
The UAE piled on the pressure in the second half and, as Khalil and Ali Mabkhout continued to be peripheral, the threat once again came from Al Hamadi.
A superb curler by the right-winger was met by an even better save from the Omani goalkeeper.
The UAE brought on their own Gulf Cup legend in Ismail Matar, but there was scant goalmouth threat from either team as the match petered out into the third consecutive draw of the tournament.
Al Habsi was the main reason for that.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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