UAE, Uzbekistan: Asian Group B competition's not over yet

Mahdi Ali, the head coach of the UAE Olympic football team, and Vadim Abramov, his Uzbekistan counterpart, agreed that the competition in Asian Group B for the 2012 London Games is far from settled despite the Uzbeks' leadership with four points from two matches. The UAE and Australia are joint second with two points each, while Iraq are fourth with a single point. Very strong "The group is very strong and the teams are almost of equal standards," Ali told a press conference after his team's goalless draw with Uzbekistan at Khalifa Stadium in Al Ain on Wednesday. "We knew that the task is very difficult but we could have won the points if we succeeded in finishing the chances that came our way during the match. "I am still looking for the best of my players and I do believe that they are capable of doing even better than they showed on Wednesday and we have three days to work on the flaws of the performance before we face Iraq on Sunday. Single victory could make a difference "It is of vital importance to start winning matches because even a single victory could make a difference in this group." he added. Ali Mabkhoot, the UAE striker, could have easily settled the match in favour of his team but he missed two sitters through haste and a lack of concentration. Mabkhoot is currently the fifth choice for his club side Al Jazira behind Ricardo Oliveira, Bare, Abdulla Qasim and Ahmad Juma. When asked about the fact that most of his players do not feature much for their clubs in the Etisalat Pro League, Ali said "I don't want to find excuses for our failure to win the match and this is not the suitable time for this point." Winning a 'difficult task' Uzbekistan's Abramov said "I told you before the match that this group is the strongest in the qualifiers and that winning matches will be a difficult task for all the teams. "My team leads this group so far but things are far from being settled as there are some very difficult matches we have to face and I believe that all the matches in this group will be tough." The UAE will host Iraq at the Khalifa Stadium on Sunday, while Uzbekistan visit Australia on the same day for the deciding matches.