UAE go top of Group A after impressive display against India
Goals by Mubarak and Mabkhout earned hosts United Arab Emirates a 2-0 victory over India in Asian Cup Group A on Thursday.
Check out the full schedule for the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 fixtures
A fascinating game in Abu Dhabi sees the local fans bouncing home, although there was certainly a massive Indian presence here too making plenty of noise themselves, when their side gave them something to cheer. In the end UAE ran out worthy winners, but things could have been so different.
India came out in the first half hour and looked like they may steamroller UAE, creating several clear opportunities. But we've seen enough football to know that if you don't take the chances when they come, you could regret it. And so they did.
UAE had shown no threat whatsoever until the closing stages of the first half, and then the goal arrived. From then on, there was only really one team in this contest, concluded late on with a second. We brought you the whole game live and you can relive it all below...
India vs UAE: how it happened
India vs UAE: match preview
After a convincing 4-1 victory over Thailand in their opening group game, India come into this fixture confident of securing their place in the knock-out phase of the 2019 Asian Cup. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Bahrain in their opener, and know that with Thailand securing all three points earlier today against Bahrain, a win here would put them in a strong position to qualify.
India: team news
The Blue Tigers are off to a flyer in this year's AFC showpiece tournament, and Sunil Chhetri will be hoping to add to his brace against the hosts. Manager Stephen Constantine is likely to name the same side, looking for more of the same creativity down the flanks from Halicharan Narzary and Subhasish Bose combining on the left, and the Udanta Singh-Pritam Kotal link-up on the opposite wing. Thailand's goal was from a set-piece and that is something that the defence will be mindful of in today's encounter.
UAE: team news
Alberto Zaccheroni may throw Ahmed Khalil into his starting line-up today after the substitute's late strike from the spot earned his side a valuable draw against Bahrain. The Italian knows that his team comes into this match as underdogs, but that a strong home support can provide that sometimes crucial '12th man'. As well as the scoring impact of Khalil in their last game, Saif Rashid was introduced at the beginning of the second half and gave an assured performance in the middle of the park. He too could be used from the off against India.
