A 1-1 draw settled the match between the UAE and Qatar, which took place on Wednesday evening at Al-Inmaa Stadium in Jeddah, as part of the third and final round of the group stage in the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27".
Both teams entered the match having already secured their qualification for the semi-finals, after winning their first two matches. The encounter thus turned into a direct battle for the top spot in Group B.
The Qatari team started the match well and managed to open the scoring in the 33rd minute through Almoez Ali, giving his country the lead in the first half.
The UAE team did not give up and managed to equalize in added time of the first half, specifically in the 45+5 minute, through Ali Saleh, ending the first half of the match in a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, both teams tried to snatch the winning goal, with a relative advantage for the UAE in terms of possession and creating chances, but the defenses of both sides held the score until the final whistle.
Match statistics showed UAE's dominance in possession with 57% compared to Qatar's 43%. UAE players also had 11 shots throughout the match, compared to 4 shots for Qatar. The UAE committed 13 fouls, while Qatar committed 15.
With this result, each team raised their tally to 7 points at the top of Group B, with the UAE remaining in first place on goal difference, after both teams had already secured their qualification for the semi-finals before the start of the final round.