Dalic warns UAE of Oman semi-final threat as Lopetegui turns focus to Saudi Arabia

Zlatko Dalic says the United Arab Emirates are moving in the right direction at Gulf Cup 27, but has warned his players they must remain focused after drawing 1-1 with Qatar in their final group-stage match.

The UAE head coach was pleased with his side’s performance, particularly after half-time, and praised the young players involved in the match. He said the team had been capable of controlling the game and that the demands of playing several matches in a short period had influenced his decision to rotate the squad.

“We were able to control the whole match, especially in the second half, and I am happy with the young players who took part today,” Dalic said at his post-match news conference.

“We are facing the pressure of playing matches in a short period, but we must be careful in the knockout games to come.”

Dalic believes the UAE have performed well throughout the competition and said he had deliberately tried to give every member of the squad playing time with the future in mind.

“We played well in all three matches. Perhaps we did not create many chances today, but I wanted to involve all the players because I am thinking about the future,” he said.

“We have two days to recover and prepare. We are improving little by little, and we deserve everything we have achieved so far.”

The UAE will face Oman in the semi-finals, and Dalic said his team would not underestimate their opponents after concentrating fully on Qatar in the group-stage finale.

“Today, all our focus was on Qatar. As for the semi-final against Oman, they are a strong team and one that must not be underestimated,” he said.

“We respect what they have achieved, and we will try to make every effort to win the next match.”

Qatar manager Julen Lopetegui was also satisfied with his side’s group-stage campaign, pointing to their seven-point total despite the draw.

“We collected seven points in the group stage, and that is good,” Lopetegui said.

He described Qatar’s performance against the UAE as excellent in parts, particularly after the interval, when they took control and missed several opportunities.

“Today we were excellent. We will close this page and begin a new one, with the next challenge being a match against a team strongly tipped to win the title,” he said.

“As I said, we will rest first before thinking about Saudi Arabia.”

Lopetegui added: “The match today was extremely difficult. We played against one of the strongest teams in the tournament and produced a very good level during certain periods of the game.”

“In the second half, we controlled the match and missed many chances. The most important thing now is to get some rest before facing the tournament hosts.”