Česká republika 2 - 2 United Arab Emirates (282771639)

Clouds darkened the skies at za Podhájnicemi as 35000 spectators turned up for the match. Köksal Alkýn was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Filip Švejk and João Pedro Albuquerque. Česká republika tactics involved an interesting 3-4-3 combination. Lineup: Plachta - Šefčík, Mangold, Hoffman - Pavlík, Kalchbauer, Macura, Sládeček - Matějka, Jirásek, Křeček.

United Arab Emirates started off with a 2-5-3 lineup. Starters: Fadl - Anbari, Nadr - Al-Muraikhi, El-Ashraf, Mansoor, El-Hamdan, Khoury - Ali, Diwanji, Jawhar.

United Arab Emirates used their ability to concentrate their attacks in the middle of the pitch, rather than on the wings. United Arab Emirates had several good opportunities to take the lead, especially 20 minutes in when A. Anbari came up alone against D. Plachta who managed a block. D. Plachta looked great 32 minutes into the match after stopping a shot from the middle of the penalty area from the visitors' D. Jawhar. M. Mansoor had a good opportunity to give United Arab Emirates the lead as he charged down the right and struck the ball towards the top corner, but the home team's goalkeeper made the save. I. Diwanji's speed is always a threat when he gets a little room to move, and 42 minutes into the match was no different as he broke free of his man to send a delightful through ball to D. Jawhar who knocked it in for United Arab Emirates. 0 - 1! A well placed corner kick from J. Jirásek was followed by W. Matějka's hard but accurate header. The well executed routine resulted in a goal for Česká republika, the score now 1 - 1. 44 minutes into the game, F. Al-Muraikhi almost gave the visitors the lead, as he clipped a delicate lob over the keeper, but the ball glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. S. Ali came close to putting the visiting team one up 44 minutes into the match, following a solo raid down the middle, but D. Plachta managed to tip the ball to a corner. The teams went for the halftime break at 1 - 1. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by United Arab Emirates, with 59 percent of the ball.

Česká republika created a good opportunity to score 47 minutes into the match when J. Jirásek's hooked ball from the left created a scuffle in front of the goal, and the visitors' defenders had a hard time clearing the ball. Given a free kick close to the byline, United Arab Emirates tried a move that loyal fans may recognise from training. A pass to the side pulled the defence out of position which let M. Mansoor slip through on goal. He didn't have to break his stride, and slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 1 - 2, 52 minutes into the game. A lovely run by United Arab Emirates's I. Diwanji left his markers for dead and should have resulted in a goal, but the finish went just wide. After 67 minutes of play, J. Jirásek evened things up for Česká republika with an impressive goal coming up the middle. 2 - 2. As the 70 minute mark approached, the Česká republika coach decided it was time for a substitution. O. Hoffman reluctantly made way for J. Hrabal on the pitch. After 73 minutes, the United Arab Emirates coach wanted to see a new face on the pitch, waving D. Jawhar off the field. Y. Mansur took his place. L. Macura would have preferred to play on, but his coach decided otherwise. I. Ryška entered the game for Česká republika as the match clock showed 80 minutes. 88 minutes into the game, Česká republika wanted to bring some new energy to their game. W. Matějka gave O. Macák a quick hug as he left the field. 89 minutes into the match, the referee signalled for a United Arab Emirates substitution. H. Nagi came on for I. Diwanji. United Arab Emirates claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 58 percent.

Česká republika's best player was P. Křeček. On the other hand, J. Jirásek's play was disheartening. H. Nagi performed admirably for United Arab Emirates. A. Anbari was a disappointment, however. The match ends 2 - 2.