UAE reach London Olympics

UAE players celebrate qualification London - Arabstoday   The UAE Olympic team etched their name into the history books on Wednesday night as they secured a place at the London Games with a stunning 3-2 win over Uzbekistan in Tashkent. On a historic night for the UAE, Mahdi Ali's men produced devastating second half display to bounce back from 2-0 down and ensure they, and not their opponents, will be guaranteed a place on the plane to London this summer. The victory is reward for seven years of planning and hardwork for Ali and the young group of players he has nurtured, with many already calling for the 45 year-old to be appointed manager of UAE's senior side. And who could argue after this heroic display. The boss had spoken in the build-up of how the match against Uzbekistan was the "moment to achieve our dream", a dream that "once seemed small, and then became bigger and bigger." Tonight, though, that dream became a reality as second-half strikes from Al Ahli's Ahmad Khalil (2), his second an absolute stunner, and Bani Yas' Haboosh Saleh deep into injury time saw the UAE clinch a thrilling victory. It was a result that didn't appear likely just minutes into the second period when Uzbek captain Fozil Musaev doubled Uzbekistan's advantage with a header. Oleg Zoteev had earlier pounced on hesitancy in the UAE defence to put them one-nil up at the interval. UAE were then given a lifeline when Khalil, the UAE's golden boy, smashed home a 20-yard free-kick in the 50th minute. And they were level soon after as Khalil latched onto a delightful left-foot flick from Omar Abdulrahman and dispatched an emphatic finish into the same bottom right-hand corner. It will surely become one of the the nation's most celebrated international goals.