ABU DHABI, Jan. 5 -- Hosts United Arab Emirates scored a late penalty to clinch an 1-1 draw with Bahrain in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup opener on Saturday.

Having lost on their last five encounters, Bahrain took a surprising 1-0 lead on 74 minutes when Mohamed Al Rohaimi scored from the center of the area.

However,Bahrain's Mohamed Marhoon was caught for handing the ball inside the box in the 88th minute. UAE substitute Ahmed Khalil levelled the score from the spot on his 100th international appearance.

In 1996, UAE hosted the Asian Cup for the first time, reaching the final but losing to Saudi Arabia 4-2 on penalties.

"We want to bring a victory for our fans, but we made too much passing errors after the break, sending Bahrain the opportunity to take the lead. We will take the lesson and play better in the next match against India," said UAE head coach Alberto Zaccheroni.

Despite the penalty kick,Bahrain manager Miroslav Soukup was satisfied with the result. "We played more aggressively and created more chances in the second half. It gives us a lot of confidence to prepare for the other two group matches."

【体坛英语资讯：Hosts UAE held 1-1 by Bahrain in AFC Asian Cup opener】相关文章：

★ 体坛资讯：Chinese badminton stars to attend Thailand Open GP gold

★ 体坛英语资讯：Denmark coach appologizes for impolite behavior

★ 体坛英语资讯：England job will be my last - excited Capello

★ 体坛英语资讯：Liu leads Chinese Osaka charge

★ 体坛资讯：Yang wins all-around at Chinas gym championship

★ 体坛英语资讯：Liu advances, shock exit for Robles

★ 体坛英语资讯：Embattled Chinese womens coach tries to keep grip

★ 体坛英语资讯：Schalke see off Monchengladbach 4-0 in German Bundesliga

★ 体坛英语资讯：Guga says goodbye to tennis world

★ 体坛资讯：Henin wins 3rd consecutive French Open title