UAE Mak Early Statement: Clean Four-Goal Win Closes the Book on Yemen at Gulf Cup 27e an
"The Whites" settle it in 51 minutes as Giménez signs off an emphatic night
The UAE needed little more than an hour to say everything it had to say in Group B of the Gulf Cup: four goals, none conceded, against Yemen. The scoreline is plain. The message behind it goes to the rest of the field: this is a team that knows when to press, when to punish its opponents' mistakes, and when to kill a game before it gets complicated.
Giménez opens the door
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute. Nicolás Giménez scored the opener and ended a cautious start. From then on, the pressure fell entirely on Yemen. They had to come out of their shell, and they paid for it quickly.
A gift at the worst possible moment
In the 36th minute, Nader Sahal put the ball into his own net to double the UAE's lead and his side's problems. An own goal in a game like this costs more than a goal on the scoreboard. It exposed defensive confusion that nobody on the pitch managed to fix.
The knockout blow before the break
The most damaging goal came in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time (45+4'), when Luan Pereira made it three. Yemen went into the dressing room knowing the match was over. All that was left was limiting the damage.
The final signature
Giménez wasted no time after the restart. His second goal, and the UAE's fourth, came in the 51st minute. It sealed the scoreline and made him the undisputed star of the night.
The Verdict: Sharper Finishing, Not a Gulf in Quality
What separated the sides tonight was ruthlessness more than raw technical superiority. The UAE scored at every decisive moment: to break the deadlock, just before half-time, and at the start of the second half. Yemen were beaten by their own errors as much as by their opponents. The own goal and the stoppage-time strike both showed a concentration that collapsed when it mattered most.
The result gives the UAE a clear psychological and mathematical edge for the rest of Group B. Yemen need to rebuild their confidence quickly, because the Gulf Cup doesn't allow much time to recover.
Final score: UAE 4–0 Yemen
Competition: Gulf Cup, Group B | 24 September 2026
Goals: Nicolás Giménez (26', 51'), Nader Sahal (36', OG), Luan Pereira (45+4')
Dr. Talal Othman, General Manager — GCC Sport
