{
  "id": 11856618,
  "title": "‘We will be better in the final’: Dalic confident UAE can improve for Gulf Cup showdown against Saudi Arabia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/we-will-be-better-in-the-final-dalic-confident-uae-can-improve-for",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-04T05:29:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/10/04/we-will-be-better-in-the-final-dalic-confident-uae-can-improve-for-gulf-cup-showdown-against-saudi-arabia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UAE coach Zlatko Dalic expressed confidence that his team can improve ahead of their Gulf Cup final against Saudi Arabia. The UAE secured their spot in the final after a narrow 1-0 semi-final victory over Oman, thanks to a lone goal from Ousmane Camara. While Dalic acknowledged that his side did not play their best match and missed chances, especially the penalty, he emphasized that the crucial aspect was qualifying for the final. The UAE will face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, where they should expect a large crowd of around 60,000 spectators. This will be a familiar fixture, as the two sides previously met in a turbulent play-off for a World Cup spot in Doha. However, significant changes have occurred since then - Carlos Queiroz, who led Oman, has since moved on to coach Ghana, while the UAE now boasts a different team dynamic. Dalic's new coach, who also competed at the World Cup with Croatia, has bolstered the side with five new additions. One of these, Guilherme Bala, made his first start for the national team, impressing during his previous cameo appearances. Despite the changes, Oman put up a strong fight, nearly leveling the score just minutes after the UAE's goal. Nevertheless, the UAE maintained their advantage to advance to the final, showcasing their improved performance.",
  "summary": "A lone strike by Ousmane Camara was enough to send the UAE through to the Arabian Gulf Cup final after they beat Oman. The national team will face Saudi Arabia in front of a likely capacity crowd of 60,000 in Jeddah on Tuesday night. They were comfortably the better side in their semi-final against Oman, but they made hard work of securing victory, with Nicolas Gimenez seeing a second-half…",
  "key_points": [
    "UAE coach Zlatko Dalic confident team can improve for final.",
    "UAE secured final spot after 1-0 semi-final win over Oman.",
    "UAE to face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah with 60,000 expected spectators."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The UAE's confidence boost from reaching the Gulf Cup final could be significant with coach Dalic's recent team changes and past experience competing at a high level with Croatia.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "‘We will be better in the final’: Dalic confident UAE can improve for Gulf Cup showdown against Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/we-will-be-better-in-the-final-dalic-confident-uae-can-improve-for-11858352",
        "published": "2026-10-04T05:29:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}