The UAE failed to break down a resolute Iran defence as the Whites lost 1-0 in their World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A tie on Tuesday.
Mehdi Ghayedi was the hero for Iran, his goal late in the first half keeping Iran on maximum points after two matches.
Paulo Bento opted for an unchanged UAE starting line-up while Amir Ghalenoei made four changes with Saleh Hardani, Saeid Ezatolahi, Hossein Kanani and Alireza Jahanbakhsh all starting for Iran.
Chances were few and far in between in the opening 25 minutes with neither Khalid Eisa in UAE’s goal nor Alireza Beiranvand for Iran being tested.
Iran had the ball in the net just after the half hour mark when Mehdi Taremi’s scuffed shot fell kindly for Mehdi Ghayedi to steer home but it was ruled out for offside.
Just when it looked like the match would go into half-time on level terms, Ghayedi stepped up to give Iran the lead in the third minute of added time, winning the ball off Khaled Aldhanhani inside the opposition box before slamming a near post shot past Eisa.
Three minutes into the second half, Iran threatened to double their lead when a Ghayedi corner kick found Jahanbakhsh whose flicked header needed Eisa’s intervention.
Iran went close again in the 68th minute when Saleh Hardani delivered a cross from the right with Taremi winning the header despite being challenged by two UAE defenders, only to see the ball go agonisingly wide.
A quick Iran counter attack 10 minutes later saw Sardar Azmoun laying the ball for Taremi to strike but the Inter Milan man – with only Eisa to beat – misjudged the flight of the ball.
UAE thought they had a late opportunity to level proceedings from the spot after referee Kim Jong-hyeok pointed to the spot for a handball by Hardani but upon VAR review, it was overturned and with that, ended the Emiratis’ hopes of a comeback.
Asia has eight direct slots for the next Fifa World Cup which will be a 48-team tournament.
Eighteen teams have been divided into three groups of six each in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.
The UAE have been drawn in Group A with Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait will compete in Group B while Group C features Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will then compete in the six-team fourth round of qualifiers.
The six teams in the fourth round will be divided into two groups of three teams. The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up teams will be locked in a playoff battle.
The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
The UAE haven’t qualified for the World Cup since their maiden appearance at the global showpiece in 1990. (with inputs from AFC)