The UAE Olympic team beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in their opening game of the U-23 Gulf Cup at the Aspire Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Friday.

An 86th minute strike from Ahmad Khalil was all that separated the two sides in Group B of the tournament, which features teams from all six GCC states.

Prior to the game, Coach Mehdi Ali stressed the importance of getting off to a good start in the tournament in order to secure promotion to the second round. He had expected a tough game.

Used as preparation for the Asian Games and Olympic Games, coaches of senior squads will also pay close attention to the ongoing tournament in order to draft players ahead of November’s Gulf Cup in Yemen.[Read More]