Referee expert Yaqoub Al-Hamadi stated that Australian referee Sean Evans managed the match between the UAE and Iraq with high efficiency. He mentioned that the match did not pose a real test for Evans's refereeing abilities, and the cancellation of the goal scored by 'Al-Ahli's' player Caio Lucas was a sound decision. Al-Hamadi told 'Al-Ittihad Al-Youm': 'There was no penalty kick deserved by the UAE team during the match, and what happened from the Iraqi defender's side with the UAE striker inside the box does not warrant a whistle, and the referee's decision was completely correct.' Al-Hamadi also addressed the cancellation of the UAE's goal, which was scored by Caio Lucas in the 95th minute, explaining that the decision was 100% correct: 'The situation was a clear offside by the UAE player, which was spotted by the assistant referee and confirmed accurately by VAR technology.' He added: 'The Australian referee managed to assert his authority in the match despite its difficulty and the high tension of both teams' players. Perhaps the most notable aspect is that he did not show a single yellow card throughout the match, which is evidence of his good control over the match proceedings.' Al-Hamadi concluded his remarks by saying: 'The referee deserves a rating of 8.3 out of 10, which is a very high percentage for any referee officiating football matches, and reflects the professional performance he delivered in a difficult and tense encounter like this one.'
