In a match at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on Monday, UAE star striker Ali Mabkhout scored a hat-trick as the hosts thrashed India 6-0. Ali Mabkhout scored in the 12th, 32nd (penalty), and 60th minutes, while Khalil Ibrahim, Fabio De Lima, and Sebastian Tagliabue scored in the 64th, 71st, and 81st minutes, respectively.

After making his club debut with Al Jazira, Mabkhout established himself as a reliable performer for his country and began playing for the first team in the 2008-09 season.

Over the course of his 13-year career, this prolific forward has set multiple records. Two of them stood out among the neutrals. He broke Adnan Al Talyani's record of 60 foreign goals to become the UAE's all-time leading scorer, as well as at the club level.

Igor Stimac, India's head coach, rotated his starting lineup eight times, giving several new players game time. He brought in Gurpreet Singh (the day's captain), Adil Khan, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Lalengmawia Ralte, Pritam Kotal, Liston Colaco, and Mashoor Shereef to stake a claim for forthcoming June matches.

Akash Mishra, Manvir Singh, and Suresh Wangjam were among those who kept their places in the XI following the 1-1 draw with Oman, along with Sandesh Jhingan, Rowllin Borges, Bipin Singh, and others.

When Mabkhout latched onto a through ball from Fabio De Lima and polished it over the goalkeeper, the UAE, ranked 74 in the FIFA rankings, took an early lead against India, ranked 104th.

Following the score, India went in search of an equalizer and had a reasonable chance when debutant Liston Colaco – the 11th debutant in the two friendly games – won a free kick in a dangerous position. Anirudh Thapa attempted a pass from the training field, sending Pritam Kotal down the right flank, but the UAE defense thwarted him.

Fabio De Lima cut in from the right at the half-hour mark and took a shot that the referee adjudged was blocked by Adil Khan's hand. Mabkhout, who has previously been linked with Premier League and La Liga clubs, stepped up and scored from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute.

At halftime, the UAE was leading by 2-0. At the beginning of the second half, Blue Tigers coach Stimac made two changes, bringing in Yasir Mohammad in place of Anirudh Thapa and Halicharan Narzary in place of Chhangte. At the hour mark, Mabkhout completed his hat-trick by controlling the ball inside the box and slotting it home. Khalil Ibrahim's first-time shot reached the back of the Indian net four minutes later, rendering it 4-0.

Liston Colaco and Lalengmawia were replaced by Raynier Fernandes and Ishan Pandita as replacements in the 58th minute. Suresh Wangjam was replaced in midfield by Hitesh Sharma in the 72nd minute. With 10 minutes towards the end, Akash Mishra was replaced by Ashique Kuruniyan.

De Lima added a fifth goal before assisting substitute Tagliabue, who scored his team's sixth goal as the homeowners won the game.

The friendly against India was part of the UAE's preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers. With its focus on this summer's rescheduled World Cup qualifiers, UAE coach Bert van Marwijk is currently overseeing his third training camp since his reappointment.

UAE is one of Asia's best teams, having progressed to the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, which they hosted. However, they were facing some difficulties.

They have lost twice — to Uzbekistan and Bahrain — and won once — to Tajikistan — in the four foreign matches they have played since the COVID-19 lockdown. Their most recent match, against Iraq, was a goalless draw in the month of January.