Lopez laments ‘individual errors’ in UAE thrashing

Qatar head coach Marquez Lopez lamented his team’s struggles after his side was thrashed by the United Arab Emirates in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Fabio Lima scored four goals including a first-half hat-trick while Yahya al-Ghassani was the other scorer as Paulo Bento’s side claimed an emphatic 5-0 win over the reigning Asian champions.
“The UAE team earned a deserved victory, and I congratulate them,” said Lopez in a post-match press conference. “Our plan relied on a defensive approach and counterattacks, but Fabio Lima’s early goal disrupted our strategy, leading to numerous individual errors that cost us. Despite our attempts to regain control, we couldn’t find the opportunity to make a comeback.”
“Our team was not fatigued; the issue lay in our tactical planning and execution. Individual mistakes led to the goals we conceded, and both the team and I, as coach, were not at our best. By the 80th minute, with the score at five in favour of the UAE, it was evident that further attempts were futile. We were aware of the UAE’s strategy to exploit individual errors, and they executed it well, showing strength in their offensive game,” added Lopez.
The heavy defeat dealt a significant blow to Qatar’s direct qualifying hopes leaving them fourth in Group A with seven points, nine behind group leaders Iran and six adrift of second-placed Uzbekistan. UAE strengthened their grip on third place climbing to 10 points while Kyrgyzstan (3 points) and North Korea (2 points) remain at the bottom of the standings.
“Iran and Uzbekistan have great chances of qualifying directly while the rest of the teams in the group still have hopes of qualifying directly or through the play-offs,” said Lopez.
Qatar will meet North Korea in their next match on March 20, 2025.
Meanwhile, UAE coach Bento was ecstatic with his team’s dominant show against Qatar. “We prepared well to face Qatar, knowing they have a strong team with exceptional players and a high-level coach,” said Bento. “We considered every possible scenario since predicting their strategy was challenging.
“We succeeded in capitalising on our chances and scored goals – something we struggled with in the match against Uzbekistan, despite performing well. Unfortunately, we missed many easy opportunities then.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s journey in the qualifiers thus far has been one to cherish for head coach Amir Ghalenoei. Tuesday’s 3-2 win against Kyrgystan kept Team Melli top of the group on 16 points, three ahead Uzbekistan with United Arab Emirates a further three adrift.
With qualification to the FIFA World Cup 26 well within reach now, Ghalenoei was pleased to see the attacking strength of his side but admitted knows defensive improvements are a must. “We managed to get a good win on a difficult day,” said Ghalenoei.