Qatar coach Lopez vows to fight back after loss to UAE

Coach Marquez Lopez expressed his disappointment on Thursday following Qatar’s 3-1 defeat to the United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. The Asian champions let slip a 1-0 advantage to lose their Group A fixture. Ibrahim al-Hassan had put the hosts in front seven minutes before half-time, but UAE rallied late in the second half through goals from Harib Abdalla, Khaled al-Dhanhani and substitute Ali Saleh.
Failure to build on al-Hassan’s opener was a disappointment for Lopez as Qatar suffered a loss on home soil in a competitive match for the first time since losing to Bahrain in the Gulf Cup in January 2023. However, the Asian Cup title-winning head coach is determined to show that this defeat is only a blip and remains confident that Qatar can recover and make the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“The result was not what we hoped after the good start and the one-goal lead,” said Lopez. “We did not succeed in maintaining the advantage in the second half and thus suffered a loss in our first match in the qualifiers.”
Lopez acknowledged the setback but remained optimistic about the team’s chances, noting that with nine matches still remaining in the qualifiers, there is ample opportunity to turn things around.
He stressed the necessity of securing a win in their next match against North Korea, scheduled for September 10 in Laos. Lopez emphasised that getting back to winning ways was crucial for regaining momentum.
“The chances in the group are still there and we have nine matches left in the qualifiers, and everything can change in terms of calculations and chances to qualify. We aim to make up for this result and get back on track, starting with the next match against North Korea (on Tuesday) and I’m confident that we can bounce back from this,” the Spaniard said.
Meanwhile, Paulo Bento heaped praise on his UAE players after they showed tremendous fighting spirit to claw their way back from a losing position to stun Qatar. Bento said he opted for his players to focus more on the central areas instead of the flanks and it led to UAE finding more joy in the attacking areas.
“We are happy to achieve our first win and we got an important result against the Qatari team, which will be a great motivation for us in the upcoming matches,” said the Portuguese.
“The win was deserved considering the performance shown by all the players throughout the match, especially in the second half, in which we were the better side.
“In the first half, we suffered in defence but after some (tactical) changes in the second half, we put pressure on the opponents to score three goals and manage to overturn from being behind to a victory.”

Shin proud after Indonesia hold Saudi arabia
Head coach Shin Tae-yong applauded his players after a resilient Indonesia held Saudi Arabia to a 1-1 draw in their Group C tie at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday. Indonesia, who are making their first appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, took the lead through Ragnar Oratmangoen but were denied victory by Musab al-Juwayr’s equaliser.
“The match was very tough from the start and the hot weather affected both teams. However, we put in a great performance and I’m proud of the players’ efforts,” said Shin. “One of the reasons we managed to get this draw was due to the contribution from the entire team. My attackers also tracked back to defend and overall, it was a solid performance.”
Saudi Arabia head coach Mancini was left to rue his side’s missed chances. “I’m not satisfied with the team’s performance in the first 30 minutes. In football, if you don’t take your chances, you won’t win,” said Mancini.