Historic Victory: UAE Thrashes Qatar 5-0 in World Cup Qualifiers

The UAE national football team, "Al Abyad," achieved a historic 5-0 victory over Qatar, "Al Annabi," at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The win came in the sixth round of Group A matches in the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This triumph marks the UAE's largest win over Qatar, surpassing the previous record of a 4-1 victory during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. With this result, the UAE has now secured 11 wins against Qatar in their footballing history.

Fabio Lima was the star of the match, netting four goals (a super hat-trick) in the 4th, 45th (penalty), 45+5, and 56th (penalty) minutes. Yahya Al Ghassani added the fifth goal in the 73rd minute, capping off the emphatic win.

The victory bolsters the UAE’s chances of directly qualifying for the World Cup, raising their tally to 10 points and securing third place in the group standings. Iran leads the group with 16 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 13 points, while Qatar is fourth with 7 points. Kyrgyzstan holds 3 points, and North Korea is last with 2 points.

The UAE delivered their best performance in years, demonstrating tactical discipline and offensive efficiency. "Al Abyad" dominated the game, consistently pressuring Qatar’s defense and showing high morale and determination to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

In the first half, Fabio Lima opened the scoring in the 4th minute, capitalizing on a low cross from Yahya Al Ghassani. Al Ghassani almost doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, but his shot hit the crossbar. Lima extended the lead with a penalty in the 45th minute after Hareb Abdullah was fouled in the box. In stoppage time, Lima unleashed a long-range strike to make it 3-0.

The UAE maintained their dominance in the second half. Lima secured his fourth goal with another penalty, earned by Al Ghassani, before Al Ghassani himself sealed the victory with the fifth goal in the 73rd minute.

In other Group A matches, Iran edged out Kyrgyzstan 3-2 to solidify their top spot, while Uzbekistan defeated North Korea 1-0.

Elsewhere, in Group C, Saudi Arabia suffered a 2-0 defeat to Indonesia in Jakarta, while Japan beat China 3-1 in Xiamen to remain atop the group standings with 16 points. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and China each have 6 points.

In Group B, Palestine drew 1-1 with South Korea in Amman, while Iraq defeated Oman 1-0. South Korea leads the group with 14 points, followed by Iraq with 11, Oman with 6, and Palestine with 3.

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