United Arab Emirates (UAE) national soccer team coach Paulo Bento (54), who led South Korean soccer, is cruising. Two games to none.

The UAE defeated Kuwait 1-0 in an exhibition match at the Ilmaktoum Stadium in Dubai, UAE, on Wednesday (June 13).

With the win, Bento has now won two matches in charge of the UAE. Bento made his debut against Costa Rica last month with a 4-1 victory.

UAE midfielder Tahneem Al Zabi (Al Wahbi) opened the scoring in the 27th minute. From there, the team focused on defense and held on for a one-goal victory.

The UAE is ranked 70th by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Kuwait is ranked 135th. However, the UAE hasn't won a game against Kuwait in the last eight years, with two draws and one loss.

The UAE also lost 0-1 against Kuwait in the Gulf Cup in January. The UAE was in Group B of the tournament, competing against Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. They finished last in the group with one draw and two losses. Since then, they have won three, drawn two, and are unbeaten in their last five games. Two of those wins have come under Bento's watch.

A number of world-class coaches have led the UAE in the past, but all have failed. Alberto Zaccheroni, Bert van Marwijk, and others have been in charge of the team, but they have not been successful in international competitions. The team failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Qatar. For reference, the UAE's last World Cup was in Italy in 1990. 카지노사이트

Bento was named UAE national team coach in July. He signed a three-year contract to lead the team through the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. Upon his appointment, Bento said, "I have enough information about the UAE. I will try to build a good and stable team," he said, adding, "I think we can please the UAE fans with victories." He is confident. And the results are showing.

Bento is the former head coach of the South Korean national soccer team. He was in charge of the team from 2018 to 2022. As the "longest-serving" coach of the South Korean national team, he has a long list of accomplishments. He led South Korea to the 2019 East Asian Cup and the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It's been 12 years since South Korea reached the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, Bento's contract with the Korean Football Association expired after the World Cup in Qatar.

Since then, Bento has pushed for a return to Europe. Immediately after the World Cup in Qatar, he was rumored to be the head coach of the Polish national team. However, Poland chose Fernando Santos, formerly of Portugal, as their new head coach instead.

Instead, Bento took the helm of the UAE national team and continued his coaching career in Asia once again. He has also coached Chongqing Dangdai Lifan (China), Olympiakos (Greece), Cruzeiro (Brazil), the Portuguese national team, and Sporting Lisbon.

Bento's UAE and South Korea could face off in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup. While they are in different groups for the second round of qualifying, they could be in the same group for the third round. The South Korean national team is currently coached by Jürgen Klinsmann. However, Klinsmann's side is in a bit of a slump with one win, three draws, and two losses in six games. Their first win in six games came last month against Saudi Arabia.