Coach Olaroiu hails UAE's resilience

WIN OVER OMAN BRIGHTENS WORLD CUP CHANCES

- BY JAI PRASAD V. RAI

UAE head coach Cosmin Olaroiu expressed pride in his team’s resilience after they came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Oman in their Group A second-round clash of the Asian qualifiers playoff for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Despite falling behind to an unfortunate own goal by Kouame Kouadio in the first half, the UAE rallied late in the game. Goals from Marcus Meloni and Caio Lucas turned the tide in their favour, keeping alive their hopes of a second-ever appearance at the World Cup, having debuted in 1990.