The United Arab Emirates kicked off their 27th Arabian Gulf Cup journey with a commanding 4-0 victory against Yemen in their opening Group B match at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah. This promising start under new coach Zlatko Dalic sets the stage for UAE’s pursuit of their third Gulf Cup title.
Nicolas Gimenez set the tone for the match by scoring the opening goal in the 26th minute. Just ten minutes later, Yemen faced a setback when defender Nader Sahal inadvertently scored an own goal, doubling UAE’s lead. The team’s dominance continued as Luan Pereira found the net before halftime, taking the score to 3-0.
Gimenez further solidified UAE’s lead by scoring his second goal of the match six minutes into the second half, concluding the scoring at 4-0. Throughout the match, UAE controlled 61 percent of the possession and made 12 attempts on goal, while Yemen struggled offensively, failing to register any shots on target.
Looking ahead, the UAE will face Bahrain on September 27, followed by a match against Qatar on September 30 in their final Group B encounter. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals, bringing the UAE closer to adding another Gulf Cup title to their previous victories in 2007 and 2013.