The head coach of the UAE national team, Răzvan Lucescu, stated that the 'White' team deserved to advance to the quarter-finals of the Arab Cup, emphasizing that coaching the UAE team is a great honor for him. The 'White' team defeated Kuwait 3-1 today in the third round of the group stage, in Group C, to move into second place with 4 points, joining the group's leader, Jordan, who qualified first with 9 points. Lucescu said in a televised interview after the match: 'We deserved to advance. The players performed well today, so this advancement is well-deserved for us.' He added: 'Egypt also played well but couldn't make it through.' The UAE and Egypt had drawn 1-1 in the previous round. The coach said: 'I have a good group of players, and gradually we will show better results... This is football. Yesterday we were sorry about the results, and today we are happy with what we have achieved.' Regarding his future with the UAE national team, especially after failing to qualify for the World Cup by losing to Iraq in the playoffs, Lucescu said: 'I came to the UAE national team to help. It's a great honor for me to be here. I respect this country, and I hope we can improve.'
