The UAE came close to extending their lead with 15 minutes remaining as substitute Walid Abbas headed against the foot of the back post from Abdulrahman's deep corner and despite Iraq pressing forward in the closing stages, the UAE held on to claim third place at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time having lost to China on penalties at the same stage in 1992. The United Arab Emirates also effectively became the last team to claim the third place position in the tournament, when this stage was officially abolished in the eventual tournament held at the country.