It only lasted 45 minutes. Scheduled for this Thursday a few hours before the final, the match for 3rd place in the Arab Cup between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia was unable to reach its conclusion. The debates were definitively stopped at half-time due to a violent deluge in Doha (Qatar).
After a first period played in conditions that were still acceptable despite the rain and concluded with a goalless draw (0-0), the weather conditions worsened significantly at the break. Returning from the locker room with a few players from both camps, the match referee noticed that the ball could no longer roll, before interrupting the match. More than 30 mm of rain fell on the Qatari capital in the space of a few minutes.
Despite the intervention of the stewards, using all possible and imaginable methods to try to clear the pitch, completely drowned in the rain, the game could not resume. The bravest spectators even had to wait for almost two and a half hours in the stands before learning of the total cancellation of the match.
Organized in Lusail, about twenty kilometers from Doha, the final of the Arab Cup between Morocco and Jordan was however maintained. The kick-off, scheduled for 5 p.m., was given by the match referee.
