UAE and Iraq meet in Newcastle to determine who finishes third and fourth in the 2015 Asian Cup. Join The Roar from 8.00pm (AEDT) for the action from Hunter Stadium.
Middle Eastern nations Iraq and UAE do battle after losing their semi-finals 2-0 a piece to South Korea and Australia, respectively. Both had upset more fancied rivals in the quarter-finals, Iraq with Iran and the UAE with Japan, but both were beaten by better teams at the semi stage.
Iraq looked tired and off the pace in Sydney after an emotion-charged penalty shootout win over Iran in Canberra. A Ben Williams decision had helped them but they showed great grit and courage to keep coming at the Iranians and eventually triumph on penalties.
At Stadium Australia they had little left in the tank to trouble the Taeguk Warriors, who scored a goal in each half and were a class above. It was a similar story for the UAE.
They beat Japan in Sydney, a result few would have predicted. But they had to grind out over 120 minutes to do it and then couldn’t handle the pace and power of the Socceroos a few days later.
Early goals to Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson put the UAE on the back foot and they could not recover. They came back into the game, dominating large parts of the second half, but could not pull a goal back on Tuesday night.
Both teams will want to finish a decent Asian Cup campaign with a win in Newcastle tonight. The UAE is a side on the rise and surprised many by reaching the semi-final stage. They made it to the Olympics in London and have made significant inroads in youth development.
Iraq won the Asian Cup in 2007 and have been blooding a new side over the past few years. They have the core of a team that will have a great chance to qualify for the next World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Prediction: UAE 1-0 win.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
Sam
Guest
The referee was totally unfair and partial, he was the player No 12 of UAE team.
DaniE
Roar Guru
Fun game to watch - can't wait for tomorrow night!
John Davidson
Roar Guru
FULL-TIME UAE hold on to claim bronze at the Asian Cup, with a 3-2 win over Iraq. An engaging match saw UAE score early, concede twice and then roar back in the second half. A send off left Iraq with 10 men but they keep fighting till the final minute and probably deserved to score late. Now it's on to the final and last game tomorrow night in Sydney. Iraq 2 UAE 3
Dave
Guest
Cant believe I picked the HT - FT correct score, why did I put it in a multi.
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'94 Then Omar leads the counter and he's snapped. Free kick and a yellow, there you go... Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'94 Long ball now from Iraq, the final punt... Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'92 UAE with a rare attack. But then they're forced all the way back to their keeper. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'90 Iraq pressing brilliantly. UAE will be very lucky to not concede before full-time. They are very sloppy. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'88 Iraq with a corner but the UAE get a head to it. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'85 Kalaf off, Meram on for Iraq. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'85 Decent shot from Iraq but UAE's keeper had it covered. UAE trying to hold on but wilting slightly. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'82 Iraq running out of time. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'79 Yasin off and Adnan on for Iraq. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'78 Yellow for Hassan after he brought down Mahmood with Iraq on the attack. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'76 12,829 attendance tonight. Good crowd. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'75 UAE change: Khalil off and Amer Ambudlrahman. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'74 UAE butcher a tap in, Mistake from the keeper from the corner and Abbas heads the ball into the post with the goal opener. What a chance. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'73 Poor free kick, right into the wall. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'72 UAE win a free kick on the edge of Iraq's box. It's getting a little heated out there. Iraq 2 UAE 3
John Davidson
Roar Guru
'70 Chaos in the UAE box. Mahmood down after clashing with a defender and then Iraq pump in two shots on goal. Iraq 2 UAE 3