UAE rues 'unlucky' loss to Japan

GUANGZHOU - Yuki Saneto's 74th-minute goal saw Japan to a 1-0 victory and its first men's soccer gold medal at the Asian Games on Thursday, one of the only two shots on goal by the winner in a match mostly controlled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Striker Ahmed Ali Alabry came agonizingly close to giving the UAE an early lead, but his shot just after the break pinged off goalkeeper Shunsuke Ando's foot and onto the woodwork before the goalie smothered the ball.

In a tight opening half, the UAE shook off the defensive cloak which had frustrated Korea in the semifinals before delivering a winning sucker punch in extra-time.

It had four shots on target in the first half on Thursday with Omar Al Omoudi having his team's best chance of the opening period, but he headed wide after earlier seeing a spectacular overhead kick saved by Japan goalkeeper Shunsuke Ando.

Japan had reached the final with an impressive run of six successive wins and boasted the blossoming striking talent of Kensuke Nagai, the 25-year-old having hit five goals in five games.

But it was the UAE which continued to press after the interval with Ahmed Al Abry, who scored the last-minute extra-time winner to beat Korea, seeing Ando save a close-range header after the ball had twice hit the woodwork.

Abdulla Bloushi then forced Ando into a smart save at the foot of his post.

The UAE paid the price for its wastefulness when Japan broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute.

From a flowing move down the left-hand side, a cross was swung in which floated over the heads of the UAE defenders and into the path of rightback Saneto.

He took just one touch and fired a right-foot drive into the corner, past the despairing

dive of UAE goalkeeper and captain Ali Housani.

"Football is not only about strength, but also luck. Sometimes you don't get paid despite having done a very good job," said UAE assistant coach Hassan Al Abdooli. "This is football and we have to accept the result."

Saneto, one of the six university students in the Japanese squad, is now eyeing a spot in the national senior squad as well as on the Olympic team for 2012. He expects to join a domestic J-league team next year after he graduates from Kouchi University.

"I want to turn pro, go international and get more experience," said the 21-year-old.

Coach Takashi Sekizuka instructed his young players to maintain the same style that has seen them win all of their matches in Guangzhou.

"This was fundamental to our success in the final," he said.

Meanwhile, the UAE will not spend too long licking its wounds as it revels in having sent the two Koreas, both Asian powerhouses in the sport, crashing out of the tournament.

Al Abdooli said the rise of a new crop of talented players will boost soccer's development in the Arabian country.

"After a decade of almost no development due to the retirement of many top players, UAE's soccer is now seeing a new golden generation coming up. They are the future," he said.

"We lost the gold, but we were able to confirm our quality in Asia. We have to consider how our opponents played against us. Some of the teams just focused on defending."

UAE midfielder Omar Abdulrahman Al Amoudi said the silver medal would certainly not hurt the team's chances at the London Olympics.

"There are several positives (to be taken here) but the most important one is that we are now a strong team in Asia. We believe Korea was the strongest in the tournament, but we took our chance against them (in the semifinal)," he said.

"That's very important because it's the first time we've done that. Now we are thinking about the Olympics and we want to represent Asia as best as we can."