An AFC Asian Cup match between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates occurred on 29 January 2019, as part of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. It was held at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. The match is referred as the Blockade Derby, due to the then-ongoing Qatar diplomatic crisis and deterioration of Qatar–United Arab Emirates relations.
The match has a significant impact on the outcome of the tournament. It was highly criticised in the United Arab Emirates, with the Emirati hosts suffering their most humiliating home defeat in Asian Cup history, while in Qatar, the match was remembered because it helped Qatar reach their first ever Asian Cup final, which they eventually won.
Background
Both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates marked the 2019 edition as the 10th edition they have qualified. While the UAE automatically qualified as hosts, Qatar was the first country to qualify for the tournament, having secured it in November 2015. Being the two earliest teams to qualify, both teams also had unsuccessful attempts to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, prompting them to replace managers. The Emirates appointing 2011 AFC Asian Cup winner Alberto Zaccheroni, while Qatar hired Félix Sánchez Bas, a former youth coach at FC Barcelona and the architect of Qatar's successful 2014 AFC U-19 Championship conquest.
In 2017, the Qatar diplomatic crisis erupted, with the United Arab Emirates, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, cut off relations with Qatar in accusation of sponsoring terrorism and its independent diplomacy, blockaded air and space for Qatar and banned Qataris from entering these countries. The rift was emboldened by the 13 demands from the blockade countries, mostly led by the United Arab Emirates, in similar charges. Qatar rejected the demands, and the blockade continued. The tensions later served as a catalyst for the eventual hostilities between two countries, which even extended to football as well. In 2018 AFC U-19 Championship, the captain of U-19 United Arab Emirates team refused to shake hand with the counterpart from Qatar. The United Arab Emirates won 2–1, however the United Arab Emirates would soon crash out of group stage while Qatar would recover to qualify for 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The buildup of 2019 AFC Asian Cup was also marred with tensions between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Qatari organizers and, especially AFC Vice-president Saoud al-Mohannadi, was also barred by the Emirati authorities. Although the Emirati government later announced that it would permit Qatari citizens temporary entry into the country pending approval from Emirati authorities, Qataris were still banned from entering the country throughout the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Pre-match
Qatar
Qatar, with majority of the squad was formed from the basis of the team that won the 2014 AFC U-19 Asian Cup, was drawn into group E, together with neighbor and rival Saudi Arabia, and two minnows Lebanon and North Korea. Qatar easily topped their group with a comfortable style, winning all three matches, respectively, 2–0 Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, as well as its biggest ever win in their Asian Cup history, a 6–0 win over North Korea, despite being completely cut off from fans. Qatar then met Iraq in the round of sixteen as Iraqi supporters dominated the stadium, where Iraqi-born Bassam Al-Rawi turned hero as Qatar won its first ever knockout stage game, 1–0.
Qatar then faced the Asian powerhouse South Korea, which had previously eliminated Germany from the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the appearance of star striker Son Heung-min, and created the biggest shock in the tournament, beating the mighty South Koreans 1–0 to reach the semi-finals, without conceding a single goal.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, as hosts, automatically drawn into the group A, along with Bahrain, India and Thailand. Prior to the tournament, the United Arab Emirates suffered a bad new when playmaker and star Omar Abdulrahman could not take part due to an injury. The United Arab Emirates topped the group, but with an unpromising performance, winning only against India and drew to Bahrain and Thailand. In the round of sixteen, the United Arab Emirates struggled for over 120' to overcome a brave Kyrgyzstan 3–2 with Ahmed Khalil converted a penalty. Then, the United Arab Emirates managed its biggest achievement in the tournament, beating then-Asian champions Australia 1–0 thanked for a mistake by Miloš Degenek, to set-up its semi-final encounter against Qatar.