The UAE produced a stirring fightback to beat Oman 2-1 in their first match of the fourth round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers in Doha on Saturday.

The hard-fought win kept the UAE's dream alive of qualifying for the Fifa World Cup for the first time since their maiden appearance in 1990.

Caio Lucas (83rd minute) and Marcus Meloni (76th minute) scored late second-half goals to clinch the three points for the UAE after Oman took the lead in the 12th minute through an own goal from Kouame Autonne.

Now the UAE lead the Group A table with three points and Qatar and Oman are tied on one point each.

The UAE will earn a direct berth for the 2026 Fifa World Cup if they avoid defeat against Qatar in their next match on October 14.

At the packed Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, the UAE head coach Cosmin Olaroiu deployed two Brazil-born players, Fabio Lima and Caio Lucas, at the frontline to launch attacking moves against the Omani defence.

But it was Oman who scored the first goal in the 12th minute when Amjad Al Harthi's effort took a deflection off UAE defender Kouame Kouadio as Oman players celebrated their first goal.

Stunned by Oman's goal, the UAE gradually took control of the midfield as they looked for the equaliser.

Nicolas Gimenez, the team's Argentina-born midfielder, had a chance in the 21st minute to find the back of the net, but his attempt was blocked by Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini.

The UAE continued to press for a goal in the first half, but Oman managed to hold on to the slender lead, thanks to a combination of poor finishing from the UAE and some impressive defensive work from the Omanis.

Olaroiu, who has yet to lose a match since taking over as the UAE head coach in April this year, made three changes in different stages of the second half by sending in Caio Canedo, Yahia Nader and Harib Abdalla.

The changes worked for the UAE as they attacked with vigour, putting the Omanis under tremendous pressure.

Oman eventually conceded a penalty in the 70th minute when Ali Saleh was brought down inside the box, but the decision was overturned by VAR.

Despite the setback, the UAE, backed by the passionate support of their travelling fans, maintained possession and six minutes later, they got the goal they richly deserved.

It was the tireless Meloni who headed home in the 76th minute from Saleh's tremendous cross to spark wild celebrations.

Seven minutes later, the celebration became wilder when Caido scored the winner with a long-range effort from the left that bounced on the turf before beating the Oman goalkeeper.

The UAE then survived 12 nerve-racking minutes of injury time to move a step closer to their first World Cup appearance since 1990.

They can end the 35-year wait to reach the global showpiece by avoiding defeat against hosts Qatar on October 14.

A draw will be good enough for the UAE, while the Qataris need a win to advance to next year's World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Oman, on the other hand, will hope for a big UAE win over Qatar for a second-place finish.

The second-placed team in Group A will face a two-legged play-off round in November against the runners-up of Group B, which has Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia.

The winner of this play-off battle will advance to the intercontinental play-off scheduled for March to decide the final spot for the World Cup.

Olaroiu's team will hope to avoid this complicated play-off rounds by earning a point against Qatar, which will earn them a historic berth at the World Cup.

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