AL AIN, United Arab Emirates -- Saeed
Hassan al-Kas produced two superb goals inside four minutes as
United Arab Emirates defeated Yemen 3-2 to move into the second
round of the Asian zone World Cup qualifying stage on Friday.
The UAE now top group eight with 12 points, pushing Yemen
into second place with 11.
The UAE, desperate to win Friday's match, lifted their game
when it mattered most to repulse a strong challenge from Yemen,
who needed only a draw to sneak through to the second round.
The UAE struck through al-Kas in the 37th and 40th minutes
with Yemen's Abdulsalam Ghalep scoring for the visitors in the
39th in a frantic period of action.
Yaser Salem Salah rounded off the UAE's tally in the 45th
minute and Adel Abdullah Ali narrowed the margin for Yemen with
a goal in the 61st.
The UAE, under new coach Abdullah Saqr who replaced Henry
Michel of France for this match, had blown a chance of a goal in
the 24th minute when Subait Khater sent a penalty kick straight
to goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulkhalek.
The penalty was awarded after Yemeni defender Anwar Ahemd
tripped a charging Yaser Salem inside the box.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights
reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior
written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or
delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.