"Congratulations to everyone and to Beiranvand. In the opening minutes, he came out on top in one-on-one situations and I dedicate this win to him. The Emiratis brought very high-quality players and they were much better. We weren't very good in the first half, but we got better in the second half,” said Ghalenoei.

"Thank God, we have taken this path in difficult circumstances after the Asian Cup. I feel like I am a blessed coach because I have good students. Every time the games are over, I miss these players."

Despite defeat, UAE head coach Paulo Bento emphasised that his team had moments where they could have changed the outcome of the game.

"I knew we would have a tough game against Iran, who are top of the group. We tried to have a balanced game but we conceded a goal due to a mistake,” said Bento.

"We had good conditions in the first half but overall, Iran had more possession of the ball. I think we were better in the second half. We had to change the system in the second half and reduced our defence from five to four players.

"Now this game is over and we have to think about the next game. Right now we are only focused on the next game. There are many possibilities for qualification, but we are only thinking about the next game against DPR Korea," added Bento.