Croatia Complicates Young Egyptians' World Cup Quest in Doha

The UAE's under-17 national team suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Croatia in their second group stage match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. The loss leaves the young Emiratis with just one point and facing a must-win situation in their final group game against Senegal on November 9.

Croatia dominated from start to finish, controlling 75% of possession and showing a clear gap in both technical and physical abilities. The UAE struggled to create any real threats on goal, managing only limited attempts that posed little danger to the Croatian keeper.

The match seemed to offer a brief moment of hope when the UAE scored early in the second half, but VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out after video review. That moment proved to be the closest the Emirates came to troubling the scoreboard.

Croatia's clinical finishing told the story of the match. Tino Kosanovich opened the scoring in the 30th minute, followed by Gabriel Sevalich six minutes later to give Croatia a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead. Radosh added the final blow in the 89th minute, sealing a comprehensive victory that reflected Croatia's superiority throughout the 90 minutes.

The result puts Croatia in a strong position with four points from two matches, following their earlier draw with Senegal. The UAE remains stuck on one point after drawing their opening match against Costa Rica.

Now the pressure is entirely on the UAE heading into their final group match against Senegal. It's a winner-takes-all scenario where only a victory will keep their World Cup dreams alive and secure passage to the round of 32.

The young Emiratis will need to show significant improvement in both possession and attacking threat if they hope to overcome a Senegal side that has already proven competitive at this level. The November 9 clash will determine which team joins Croatia in the knockout stages.