International Friendlies: UAE 1-0 Man City

An eighth-minute penalty proved decisive as Manchester City slipped to defeat in their friendly match against a youthful United Arab Emirates side in humid conditions at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City.

The key moment in the Emirates Foundation Cup match came when goalkeeper Stuart Taylor fouled UAE skipper Saeed Al Kasand and was beaten down to his right side by Mohamed Al Shihi.

Pablo Zabaleta, Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha were the only established first-team players named by boss Mark Hughes in an inexperienced City line-up.

After falling behind, the nearest the visitors came to scoring in the first half was when Paul Marshall’s free-kick from 20 yards curled over the bar in the 25th minute.

Onuoha blocked a 44th-minute effort and City’s night was summed up in the closing stages when their appeals for a penalty were unsuccessful after Kieran Trippier’s cross appeared to be handballed, before Alex Nimely’s low cross was sliced just wide by a UAE defender.