Azerbaijan became the latest victim of Guga’s led Emirati as the hosts won their third straight friendly match on Wednesday at Al-Mamzar Park beach, UAE
A 3-2 victory for The Falcons was an exhilarating match that was not decided until the waning moments. Both sides were evenly matched and a late third period goal from the UAE is the only thing that separated the two sides. The two squads have had busy years, both playing in some of the biggest events in their respective regions. The UAE has already played two international exhibition matches in the past week, both wins against Oman, and are still slated to face Hungary on the 30th and Russia on Saturday, November 1st.
Defense made the opening period very tense with both teams playing tit-for-tat until late in the frame, when the offenses came alive, with both teams scoring within 15 seconds of each other, leading to a 1-1 tie going into the 2nd period. The middle frame saw the hosts score first and quickly, then sit back and try to hold off the National Selection of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani used a timely last minute goal in the period to tie matters at 2 going into the final break. Things looked to be headed into overtime, with both teams unable to find the back of the net in the deciding period but the UAE did, in almost the last possible moment, with 30 seconds left, to earn the difficult 3-2 win.
November 4th marks the beginning of the Samsung Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai 2014 and the hosts have rounded into form already and look like they are chomping at the bit to start the prestigious event. The winner will be determined on Saturday November 8th, and it would be no shock if the UAE were the only one left standing, especially after their great showings in these pre-tournament matches.
