SAITAMA, JAPAN // UAE manager Mahdi Ali said last year’s Asian Cup victory against Japan counts for nothing as the two sides face off again on Thursday in qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
The UAE begin their Group B campaign against their experienced rivals at the Saitama Stadium, in the first meeting between the pair since the quarter-finals of the continent’s showpiece competition 20 months ago.
Then, the UAE triumphed on penalties after the match finished 1-1 in Australia, consigning Japan to an unexpectedly early exit and providing the platform for the Emiratis to eventually take bronze – their best Asian Cup performance on foreign soil.
World Cup qualification is another matter with the UAE attempting to make the global finals for only the second time in their history.
• More: Japan manager speaks | UAE's road to Russia
In contrast Japan, currently ranked 49th in the world by Fifa and 25 places above the UAE, have featured at the past five consecutive tournaments.
Realising Japan’s undoubted pedigree, Mahdi Ali denied that revenge for the Asian Cup defeat will only strengthen the hosts’ resolve.
“We know it was a very sad moment for the Japanese team at the Asian Cup, and we know they will do all their best to win this game,” he said. “But it’s simply a game for us and we’ll do our best, regardless of what happened in the past.
“What happened in the past is history. That match was one year and eight months ago and in that time many things can change.
“For us, it’s a new game. We don’t live in the past. We look only for the future and how we are prepared for this coming match tomorrow.
“We are not here to speak about revenge or whatever. We are here to play our best, fighting for our dream. We have a big dream, which was with us for a long time, and it’s getting bigger and bigger. We will not let this dream slip away.
“So we will fight for 90 minutes for all these years of preparation for this moment. We know this is maybe the last chance for many players in the team to play in a World Cup, maybe they’ll not have the chance in 2022. I don’t think the players will let it go.”
Mahdi Ali said the national team’s preparations, which began in July and have continued almost uninterrupted through training camps in Spain and China, perhaps give the UAE a slight advantage.
Yet the former Al Ahli midfielder, who has managed the core of the current team at various age-group levels, warned it will take a collective effort to return from Japan with a positive result, be it a draw or a victory.
The UAE next take on Australia at Abu Dhabi on September 6, before assignments against Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
“My most important player tomorrow is my team, because we play with 24 players,” Mahdi Ali said when asked to pick who in his side would decide the match.
“So the team is the most important, not a specific player.
“Maybe some will perform very well in the game, but this performance is because of the support from the other players, even the ones on the bench who help the others in training. My best player is my team.
“We know it’s a very tough game for both teams, and having a good start in qualification gives you a good boost to continue and the motivation to continue with the same spirit.
“We hope we achieve a positive result tomorrow to give us a boost for the upcoming qualification matches.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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