Abdalla on Target as UAE Set up Playoff with Australia

UAE's Harib Abdalla celebrates after scoring against South Korea in the World Cup Qualifier in Dubai on Tuesday night. (Reuters)
UAE's Harib Abdalla celebrates after scoring against South Korea in the World Cup Qualifier in Dubai on Tuesday night. (Reuters)
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Abdalla on Target as UAE Set up Playoff with Australia

UAE's Harib Abdalla celebrates after scoring against South Korea in the World Cup Qualifier in Dubai on Tuesday night. (Reuters)
UAE's Harib Abdalla celebrates after scoring against South Korea in the World Cup Qualifier in Dubai on Tuesday night. (Reuters)

The United Arab Emirates handed South Korea a surprise 1-0 defeat in Dubai on Tuesday to set up a playoff clash with Australia as they kept alive their hopes of a first World Cup appearance in 32 years.

Hareb Abdalla's 54th minute goal sealed a third place finish in Group A for Rodolfo Arruabarrena's side, ensuring the UAE will take on the Socceroos in a one-off meeting in Doha on June 7.

The winner of that match with then face the fifth-placed team in the South American qualifiers with a berth in the finals in Qatar at stake.

Abdalla struck against the run of play for the Emiratis, who were facing a Korean side that had not conceded a goal in their previous five qualifiers and were looking for a victory that would secure them top spot in Group A.

Striker Hwang Hee-chan hit the woodwork in the first half as the Koreans dominated but, nine minutes after the restart, Abdalla scored.

The 19-year-old, deputizing for suspended first-choice forward Ali Mabkhout, latched onto Mohammed Al Baloushi's pass and calmly stroked the ball past Jo Hyeon-woo.

South Korea hit the frame of the goal again six minutes later when Hwang Ui-jo's header clipped the top of the bar but they could not deny the UAE, who are looking to qualify for the finals for the first time since making their debut in 1990.

The Emirates finished in third place in the group ahead of Iraq, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Syria.

Abdulghani Shahad's side needed to beat the Syrians and hope the UAE lost to South Korea, only to go behind in the fourth minute when Alaa Al Dali shot into the roof of the net.

Aymen Hussein headed in an equalizer 14 minutes before the break to give his side a lifeline but the Iraqis were unable to claim a second win in the qualifiers.

Iran earned a 2-0 win over Lebanon in Mashhad through goals from Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh to ensure Dragan Skocic's side finished on top of Group A, two points ahead of the Koreans.

In Group B, Japan defender Maya Yoshida's second-half goal earned a 1-1 draw with Vietnam at Saitama Stadium as Hajime Moriyasu's World Cup-bound side brought down the curtain on their preliminary campaign.

The Japanese team, who confirmed their place at a seventh consecutive World Cup finals with victory over Australia on Thursday, were forced to fight back after Nguyen Thanh Binh's 19th minute header had given the visitors the lead.

However, Yoshida scored from close range nine minutes into the second half to earn a much-changed home side a share of the points.



Olympic Champion Hall Jr. Receives Replicas of 10 Medals Lost in LA Fires

US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
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Olympic Champion Hall Jr. Receives Replicas of 10 Medals Lost in LA Fires

US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)

Multiple Olympic swimming champion Gary Hall Jr. received replicas of his 10 Olympic medals on Monday after the originals were destroyed during the Los Angeles wildfires in January.
The medals were presented to him by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during a ceremony at the Games ruling body's headquarters in Lausanne, Reuters reported.
"Thank you for the medals," Hall Jr. said in a brief speech. "Never before have 10 Olympic medals been replaced. Probably because no one has lost 10 medals before. I will do a better job at taking care of these.
"The realization through this process that outweighs any sense of loss is this word of solidarity and what it means which cannot be taken away."
Hall represented the United States at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.
The 50-year-old was forced to leave the medals behind at his Pacific Palisades home during the fires which tore through the Los Angeles area.
"When we were reading your tragic story of losing your house and all your possessions and all your worldly properties, this was going straight to our heart," Bach said.
The wildfires killed at least 29 people and destroyed large sections of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods in Los Angeles, displacing tens of thousands of people.
It is estimated to be the most expensive natural disaster in US history.
Los Angeles will host the next summer Olympics in 2028.