UAE 3-4 Armenia: The Whites 20-match unbeaten run ends

Martyn Thomas 23:58 27/05/2014
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Two good: Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a brace to lead Armenia to a narrow victory.

    The UAE’s 20-match unbeaten run came to an end in Switzerland, as a Henrikh Mkhitaryan brace helped Armenia to a 4-3 win at the Stade de la Fontenette.

    Armenia took the lead eight minutes before half-time as Levon Hayrapetan fired through the legs of Khalid Essa, with the Whites temporarily down to 10 men with Hamdan Al Kamali off injured.

    Mahdi Ali’s side had given as good as they got until that point though and Ismail Ahmed headed them level just three minutes later.

    They would go into half-time behind though, as Mkhitaryan capped a crazy five-minute spell with his first goal of the match.

    Opposite number, Omar Abdulrahman, pounced to restore parity shortly after the break but with the UAE bench emptying and weary legs on display Mkhitaryan grabbed his second, before Rumyan Hovsepyan gave Armenia breathing space.

    Mohanad Salem headed home late on but it was nothing more than a consolation as the UAE slipped to their first defeat since a 1-0 loss against Japan, in Mahdi first game in charge 20 months ago.

    Ranked 33rd in the world, Armenia represented a step up in quality from the opposition the UAE are used to facing but as the game got under way they more than held their own.

    Indeed they could, and probably should, have taken the lead in the first 60 seconds, had Ali Mabkhout made the most of an inviting chance.

    But having shown great composure to control strike partner Ahmed Khalil’s cross, and create space, the Al Jazira man shot straight at Gevorg Kasparov in the Armenian goal.

    Mabkhout was proving a handful and four minutes later, he cut in from the left wing but saw his curled effort roll just past the far post.

    Armenia were beginning to impose themselves though, and were unlucky not to take the lead as Gevorg Ghazaryan side-footed Yura Movsisyan’s low cross against the post.

    UAE goalkeeper Khalid Essa then had to be alert to tip a cross-cum-shot from Aras Obiliz around for a corner, before Karlen Mkrtchyan sent a volley from the resulting set piece narrowly wide.

    The pressure on the UAE was building, and things got worse for Mahdi Ali’s side with 10 minutes of the half remaining as centre-back Al Kamali limped off with what appeared to be a knee injury.

    The Whites were forced to play with 10 men for several minutes as Salem prepared to come on and Armenia took full advantage, taking the lead through Hayrapetan after a one-two with Movsisyan.

    It seemed a cruel blow for a spirited performance in the first 37 minutes, but within 180 seconds Mahdi’s side were level as Ismail Ahmed powered home a header from an Omar Abdulrahman corner.

    Ahmed’s intervention was deserved but parity would last less than two minutes as Mkhitaryan finished off a slick counter, slotting Movsisyan’s low cross past Essa.

    The UAE had 45 minutes to save their long unbeaten run, but needed just six to draw level as Ali Mabkhout did brilliantly to hold up the ball on the byline before picking out Omar Abdulrahman, with an inch-perfect cut-back.

    The Al Ain playmaker didn’t even need to check his stride as he stroked home from 15 yards.

    Buoyed by their equaliser the UAE enjoyed a fine spell and could have taken the lead had Mabkhout done better with a sublime through ball from Omar Abdulrahman.

    Armenia made the most of that let off, and as their superior fitness began to show, eased away from their opponents with two goals in four minutes.

    First, Mkhitaryan breezed past substitute Mohammed Ahmed – only brought on seconds earlier – before chipping past Essa. Four minutes later debutant midfielder Hovsepyan headed home from a corner to all-but seal the UAE’s fate.

    They refused to give in though, and after Mahdi had handed Ali Salmeen a first cap, Salem headed home with five minutes left to give the Whites hope.

    It was too little too late to salvage their unbeaten run, but the UAE did leave the Stade de la Fontenette with their pride intact.

    Recommended