The UAE booked their place in the Gulf Cup 27 semi-finals with a 3-0 win over defending champions Bahrain in Jeddah on Sunday.
Ousmane Camara, Guilherme Bala and Ali Saleh scored at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium as the UAE made it six points from their opening two Group B matches.
The result followed Thursday’s 4-0 win over Yemen and leaves Zlatko Dalic’s side top of the group on goal difference ahead of Qatar. Both teams have already qualified for the last four and meet on Wednesday to decide who finishes first.
Camara put UAE Football ahead after 30 minutes, heading in Yuri Cesar’s cross at the near post.
Bahrain goalkeeper Ibrahim Lutfalla had twice denied Nicolas Gimenez shortly before the opening goal, while Gimenez went close again after half-time when his header struck the crossbar.
The UAE eventually added their second in the 66th minute. Marcus Meloni found Bala, who carried the ball into the penalty area before finishing low into the bottom corner.
Ali Saleh completed the scoring two minutes from time. The forward broke through the Bahrain defence and finished for his side’s third, with the goal confirmed following a VAR review.
The defeat ended Bahrain’s hopes of defending the Gulf Cup title they won in 2025. They have lost both of their opening matches, while Yemen have also been eliminated from Group B.
The UAE and Qatar now meet in their final group match on Wednesday, September 30, with top spot still to be settled.
