Striker Ahmed Khalil put UAE ahead after 33 minutes but Uzbekistan levelled the scores four minutes after the hour mark through Kenja Turaev.

However, Khalil sealed the win for his side with his second strike of the game with 18 minutes remaining.

The UAE were the only side to win all their matches in the competition and Ali believes his side’s dominance proves they were the best team throughout the tournament.

"By winning the title, we had great results and as a result we are the best in the tournament," he said.

"We have won the title, the MVP and Top scorer awards, and we have the best defence and the best attack.

“I’m really proud with the effort of the players as they produced impressive results by winning all their matches in the competition. This is a great achievement for UAE."

Ali conceded that the win did not come easy and admitted he was wary about Uzbekistan’s ability to hit on the counter-attack.

"The game was hard from the beginning as it was not very open and both teams were cautious,” he added.

“We knew that Uzbekistan would make a defensive start and they would try their best to score from quick counter attacks.

"We were hoping to get a free kick at the edge of the area and Ahmed Ali won one which allowed Ahmed Khalil to open the scoring and I believe that his goal is one of the best in the tournament.

"After taking a 1-0 lead we couldn’t continue our dominance in the second half. The Uzbekistan coach made a good change as he switched (Sherzodbek Karimov) to the right and this affected us.

Ali replaced Tunisian coach Khaled bin Yehya just days before the tournament and felt the change in management was not ideal for preparations, but was pleased they managed to perform as well as they did.

"The change of the technical staff was really hard as the players had to adapt to a new system," he said.

"I accepted this challenge because I have big trust and confidence in the capabilities of the players."