Paulo Bento scored the winner in his debut for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE (ranked 72nd in the FIFA rankings) defeated Costa Rica (ranked 46th in the FIFA rankings) 4-1 in an A-match friendly at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, Croatia, on Wednesday morning (ET).
The UAE lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kaiou, Yahya Al Ghassani, Ali Saleh, Fabio Zirima, Yahya Nader, Ali Salmin, Abdullah Idris, Khalid Al Hashemi, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalid Ibrahim, and Khalid Eisa started.
Costa Rica lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Joel Campbell, Manfred Ugalde, Randall Lill, Alejandro Bran, Sebastian Murillo, Jimmy Marin, Ronald Matarrita, Francisco Calvo, Julio Cascante, Jeffrey Valverde, and Keylor Navas started.
The UAE opened the scoring in the 16th minute. After a pass from Zi Lima, Al Ghassani dribbled brilliantly inside the penalty box before shooting to the near post. The ball hit the hands of Navas and slipped into the back of the net.
A second goal soon followed. In the 23rd minute, Al Ghassani played a long ball from just outside the penalty box to the other side, where Saleh cut back and crossed into the box. Kaiou slotted it into an empty net.
It was a three-goal deficit by halftime. In the 38th minute, Zi Lima took an audacious shot from distance. The ball bounced off an opponent and curved into the top corner of the goal.
In the second half, the UAE drove a wedge. Eight minutes into the second half, Al Ghassani exchanged one-on-one passes with Nader to get into the penalty box and calmly finish into the top corner of the net.
The UAE conceded a late goal in the 19th minute, but were able to hold off Costa Rica with a 4-1 three-point victory.
Bento took charge of the UAE in July, and in his press conference, he said: “The national team has important competitions ahead. The most important is the 2026 World Cup qualifiers starting next November, followed by the Asian Cup in Qatar next January. Our ambition is to fulfill our ambitions in these competitions,” he said.
“In addition to the previous information about the UAE national team, we have an action plan for the upcoming period. We will work to get to know the players more accurately and emphasize that the selection criteria will be based on performance and attitude, regardless of age.”
“Winning is the way to make the UAE fans happy. We need to focus on the present and look to the future. We need to focus on the present and look to the future, but we need to honor our past efforts without looking at the past.”
And with a debut win, the team made the UAE fans happy.
After retiring from playing, Bento began his coaching career in 2004 as Sporting’s youth coach, becoming the first-team coach in 2005, finishing second in the league that season and earning a Champions League (UCL) ticket. Bento was rewarded with a new contract and stayed on until 2009, winning the Tasa de Portugal (FA Cup) twice and the Supertasa (Super Cup) twice. In the league, they finished second the previous season, but it was enough to earn him recognition.
Next up was the Portuguese national team. Bento got off to a great start, qualifying for Euro 2012 and reaching the quarterfinals of Euro 2012, which earned him a contract extension through Euro 2016, but he was sacked at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The team failed to make it to the round of 16, with a major injury ward. Three months later, he was dismissed after a 0-1 loss to Albania in their first Euro 2016 qualifier.
It was his first taste of hard labor for the Portuguese national team. It was just the beginning. Bento’s next stint with Cruzeiro (Brazil) lasted just two months, with four wins, three draws, and eight losses in 15 games. It continued. At Olympiakos (Greece), he was fired after criticizing the front office and a specific player in a press conference. He was unhappy with the club’s decision to sell a key player, which upset the owner. Finally, Ventura took over at Chongqing Liangjiang Jingji (China) in 2017. Here, it was the same story. After 15 games, with five wins, two draws, and eight losses, the team struggled. After seven months, he had to pack his bags again.
After four more dismissals, he took the helm of the South Korean national team in August 2018. At the time, public opinion was not favorable. “Why bring in a coach who has failed in so many places,” were some of the complaints. The situation only worsened with a lackluster build-up game and a quarterfinal exit at the 2019 Asian Cup.
But Bento pressed on, and his biggest goal, the World Cup, came to fruition. They made it to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, allowing the world to enjoy the festivities even more. Above all, they offered a new paradigm, playing a soccer that didn’t back down, even against strong opponents. Thus, Bento’s four-and-a-half-year contract came to an end. For the first time since his Sporting days, Bento was able to leave to a standing ovation.
“I think the most important thing is to have faith in our football. It’s about knowing what to do and how to do it, and having principles. In fact, this is not only true in football, but also in life. We explained our goals to the players from the beginning, and they believed in them,” he said, looking back on the four years.카지노
“I think that’s why we made it to the round of 16. We didn’t have the style we have now. It’s because the players thought it was possible, and they believed in it and followed it. Overall, I would like to congratulate the players for the professionalism and team spirit that they showed at the World Cup, which helped them overcome difficult moments.”