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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Zaccheroni bows out after semifinal humiliation

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ABU DHABI: In the end, the highlight of the 2019 Asian Cup for the United Arab Emirates only set them up for humiliation, Tuesday’s 4-0 rout at the hands of Qatar that sent their not-so-friendly neighbours to the final and ended the tournament for the hosts.


Had they, as expected, lost to reigning champions Australia in the quarterfinals they could have exited the competition with grace and sent Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni on his merry way at the end of his 15-month contract.


Instead, they beat the Socceroos and their tournament ended with fans booing the Qatar national anthem, hurling missiles at Qatari goalscorers with UAE defender Ismail Ahmed receiving a red card for an off-the-ball elbow to the face of an opponent.


In a part of the world where the concept of host carries great import, it was a messy conclusion.


Zaccheroni, the wily tactician who led Japan to the 2011 Asian Cup triumph, duly apologised to pretty much everyone — the fans, the country’s leadership, the fans again — all except for the Qataris.


“This is football. I assume full responsibility. I’m the coach and we lost,” he said.


“We were very well prepared for this game but we could not deliver the performance that would make the fans happy, we made so many mistakes around the game.


“We had the will power, everyone was determined and everyone did their best but, as I said, I assume full responsibility and I defend the players.”


To be fair to the 65-year-old, the ageing UAE squad were always going to struggle to match their semifinal appearance of four years ago, let alone the trip to the final they made the last time they hosted in 1996.


That job became even trickier when their best player, playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, suffered a knee injury in October and was ruled out of the tournament.


Zaccheroni said he thought the UAE had nevertheless benefited from his time in charge.


“I worked with dedication and I did my best,” he said.


“I gave the opportunity to young players and to experienced players and I think the UAE team has gained a lot of young players and this is due to the hard work I’ve spent with the UAE team.” — Reuters



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