The UAE national team has officially ended its dream of qualifying for the World Cup 2026, for the second time in its history, after the 1990 World Cup, following a painful 1-2 defeat to their Iraqi counterpart in the second leg of the Asian playoff. The main highlight of the match was individual errors in crucial moments, led by two costly mistakes by midfielder Yahya Nadar. The UAE national team missed a golden opportunity in the match, held at Basra Stadium in front of over 45,000 spectators, as they delivered one of their most disciplined performances in the qualifiers, being mentally and physically present from the first minute despite the immense pressure created by Iraqi fans at Basra International Stadium. This allowed the 'White' (the UAE team's nickname) to impose their style of play and control the rhythm of the game. The UAE took the lead through Caio Lucas (52), but substitute Muhannad Ali (Mimi) equalized for Iraq (66), before substitute Amir Al-Umari also scored the fatal penalty goal that secured Iraq's qualification in the 90+17 minute. Midfielder Yahya Nadar wasted the 'White's' efforts to catch up with the playoff for the World Cup 2026 after committing two fatal errors that led to the team's defeat. Yahya Nadar erred when he handled the ball inside the box in stoppage time, leading to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention, with Japanese referee Yusuke Aratai confirming the penalty, allowing the 'Lions of the Tigris' (Iraq's nickname) to score the winning goal. Prior to that, Yahya Nadar was responsible for the equalizing goal scored by the 'Lions of the Tigris' when substitute Mimi rose to a cross and played it with his head, which then struck his body and changed direction, finding the net of Khalid Eissa, the first defensive error for the UAE in the match. The first half showed promising signs in the national team's performance, as the players delivered a genuine display of intelligent movement and perfect spatial reading, causing the threat of the Iraqi attack to completely disappear. Khalid Eissa faced no direct threats thanks to the improvement in the back line, especially with the return of Kwame, who restored balance and freed the midfielders to perform their offensive roles with greater confidence. As soon as the second half began, the 'White' managed to translate their superiority into a deserved goal through a perfect run by Caio Lucas deep into Iraqi territory, giving the team a long-awaited lead. The Iraqi goal nearly trembled again when Jiménez fired a powerful shot that hit the crossbar, a missed opportunity to extend the lead amidst the 'White's' continued dominance. After this goal, problems re-emerged within the national team, with our players committing numerous errors that led to the defeat, including an inability to deal with crosses that led to both goals, aside from Yahya Nadar's mistakes. Furthermore, the physical fitness of the 'White's' players was not enough to maintain the same level in the critical minutes of the match.
