UAE defeats Oman 2–1, keeps World Cup dream alive

The United Arab Emirates national football team secured a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Oman on Saturday in an all-Gulf encounter at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. The match was part of Group A’s second-round fixtures in the Asian qualifiers playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The result gave the UAE a crucial opening win in the group, while Oman and Qatar remained tied with one point each following their goalless draw in the opening round.

Oman began the match with high intensity, pressing the UAE defense early and taking the lead in the 12th minute through an own goal by defender Kwame Kweido, who inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net under pressure. The goal gave Oman an early advantage as they controlled possession for much of the first half.

The UAE’s response was slowed when star winger Yahya Al Ghassani suffered an injury in the 32nd minute following a promising solo run. Head coach Cosmin Olăroiu was forced to replace him with Ali Saleh.

Despite flashes of creativity from Nicolas Giménez and Fabio Lima, the Emiratis went into halftime trailing 1–0 after a first half marked by defensive errors and missed chances.

In the second half, Olăroiu made three substitutions — Harib Abdalla, Caio Canedo, and Yahya Nader — which immediately shifted the game’s momentum. The UAE launched several dangerous attacks through Harib and Saleh, but Omani goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Khamini produced multiple saves to preserve his team’s lead.

The breakthrough came in the 76th minute when Milos Miloni equalized after sustained UAE pressure. Just seven minutes later, Caio Lucas completed the comeback with a stunning long-range strike from outside the box in the 83rd minute, sending Emirati fans into celebration.

Oman pushed for a late equalizer, but UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa delivered two crucial saves in the final moments to secure the victory and maintain the team’s perfect start to the playoff round.