FIFA Arab Cup
The win puts Jordan two points ahead of Egypt and Kuwait, who shared a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.
UAE started well with Nicolas Gimenez’s shot from range flashing just wide of Yazeed Abulaila’s goal but things took a drastic change in the 18th minute.
Cosmin Olaroiu’s side went down to 10 men after Khaled Aldhanhani pulled down Alnaimat in the box and was shown a straight red card with Ali Olwan sending Hamad Almeqbaali the wrong way with the resulting penalty to put Jordan ahead.
Jordan were awarded another penalty after Almeqbaali was judged to have tripped Alnaimat but the goalkeeper made amends to deny Olwan’s second spot-kick in the 39th minute to keep UAE within touching distance.
A different UAE appeared for the second half, drawing level after two minutes when Luanzinho broke free on the left with his cutback sliced home by Bruno between Abulaila and the near post.
Jamal Sellami’s side regained their hold on the match in the 63rd minute after Kouadio Kouame’s clearance hit Alnaimat and looped over Almeqbaali, with the Jordan forward making no mistake in steering the ball home from close range.
Alnaimat missed a great chance with seven minutes left on the clock when he took too long to decide with his attempt blocked by Lucas Pimenta but it wasn’t to matter as Jordan saw out the win.
They play Kuwait next while UAE will look to bounce back against Egypt, with both matches on Saturday.
Photos: Jordan Football Association, United Arab Emirates Football Association
