UAE saviour Ahmed Khalil has urged his team-mates to “see the solutions” after the 2019 Asian Cup hosts opened with a fortunate 1-1 draw against Bahrain.
The Whites appeared set for a demoralising loss after stand-in striker Mohamed Al Romaihi’s 78th-minute strike, at the second attempt, before a stunned Zayed Sports City.
However, 2015 AFC Player of the Year Khalil would then rise off the substitutes’ and mark his 100th cap with a calm penalty-kick after fellow replacement Mohamed Marhoon was harshly penalised for a handball.
A buoyant India are up next in Group A on Thursday at the same venue, courtesy of Sunday’s shock 4-1 thrashing of hotly tipped Thailand. This means the UAE must be much improved.
“Today was more important to not lose the game,” the Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club forward said after Saturday’s match. “The good thing is that we came back and the more important is we have to think about next game.
“Every player feels responsible for what’s gone on today and they think about the next game and to hopefully get three points, to see the solutions to get three points.”
Alberto Zaccheroni’s men have been heavily scrutinised in the run-up the tournament after they won just three of 13 matches during 2018.
Khalil, though, refused to blame “pressure” for this poor display.
The 27-year-old said: “It’s not pressure. This is the first game and this is football.
“Sometimes, you maybe don’t play well and you win. But in the tournament you have to give the maximum, you have to fight and you have to work more.
“This is how we came back and we can do it for the next game: see which solutions we go for to get three points and hopefully we come back.”
A victory against India will put the UAE in a strong position to proceed from their pool, either automatically through the top two or as one of four third-placed finishers.