Coaches
UAE: Paulo Bento(POR)
Iran: Amir Ghalenoei(IRN)
Al Ain: Head coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed mixed feelings after Iran secured a 1-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 2026 on Tuesday. While the win kept Iran's perfect record in Group A intact, Ghalenoei was left wanting more from his side's finishing, having created numerous chances but converting only one.
For the second consecutive game, Iran dominated but had to settle for a narrow 1-0 win. The 60-year-old coach was pleased with the points but stressed the need to improve in front of goal.
"I congratulate Mr. Bento for the good team he has built. It is one of the best teams the UAE has ever assembled," said Ghalenoei. "This match could have ended with a three or four-goal difference, but at the same time, it could have also been a draw.
"Before the game, I said we had analyzed the UAE’s strengths from their match against Qatar, neutralized them, and exploited their weaknesses. In fact, we could have scored more goals."
Ghalenoei highlighted his team’s inefficiency in converting chances, stating: "We did not convert 90 percent of our opportunities. Sometimes, in football, you get punished for that, but fortunately, we were not punished today. However, this is an issue we need to address."
Mehdi Ghayedi scored in the first half of added time, but Iran could have extended their lead had Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi, and Sardar Azmoun been more clinical in front of goal.
For UAE head coach Paulo Bento, the defeat was a tough pill to swallow, especially after their morale-boosting 3-1 win against Qatar in their opening game. Bento pinpointed the timing of Ghayedi's goal as a critical moment in the match.
"Of course, the result was not good, but I am satisfied with the players' performance," said Bento. "We conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half, and this was the worst moment for the UAE team in the match.
"I think that if we had succeeded in ending the first half goalless, the course of the game in the second half would have been completely different." completely different.†|