UAE coach dedicates victory to supporters and mother

MANAMA: UAE head coach Mahdi Ali was overjoyed last night following his team’s 2-1 victory over Iraq in the 21st Gulf Cup.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported the team,” he said. “I am very happy with this result.
“Winning is the least we can give the UAE fans. We are very glad that they are happy.
“I dedicate the Gulf Cup to our supporters and to my mother.
“My wish was to see our team perform at a high level, and they did so in this competition. I did my best to help grow the team for the future.
“The team is progressing forward with everyone – administrative, medical, the players – hopefully we still have a chance to be better in the future.”
Iraq head coach Hakeem Shaker congratulated their opponents for their win.
“The UAE team is very well organized and they are being called ‘The Dream Team’ of the UAE,” said Shaker.
“We ourselves have a golden generation right now in our team, and they contributed a lot to our success in the tournament.
“We did not come here to be participants. We came here to win. But I congratulate the UAE for the title, and I congratulate all the Iraq players for their outstanding performance in the competition.
“UAE made some mistakes in the match, and I am very sorry that we did not translate these opportunities into goals. But I am very happy with our performance.