UAE, semi-finalists in the last two editions of the continental showpiece, are 86 places ahead of Hong Kong who hold the 150th spot in the latest FIFA World Ranking.

For the former Korea Republic boss, the two penalties UAE earned were simply an excellent example of demonstrating how far their opponents had been pushed.

“If a team is being awarded penalties, it means they have repeatedly entered the opponents’ penalty area and given them trouble. That’s not easy to do,” said Bento.

“Penalties are part of set-piece play and many historic matches have been decided by them, so I don’t think having to rely on penalties has any negative connotation.

“Moreover, I am very pleased with the outcome of the match as it helped us achieve our main target – to come back with three points.”

However, the Portuguese acknowledged that there were several gaps that the team would have to work on before their against the Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday.

“While I am pleased with the performance of my team, there are areas we need to work on. In both halves of the match, we squandered chances. Many of the players, including Sultan (Adil), were exhausted towards the end of the game. So, we will first concentrate on their recovery,” added Bento.

Adil, who gave his side the lead in the first half and was named the Player of the Match, was pleased to score the UAE’s first goal in this edition of the AFC Asian Cup.

“The first win is always important and I am so happy to have scored the first UAE goal in the competition. I promise I won’t let my guard down,” said Adil.

“The idea was to score and successfully converting penalties only means we have made the most of a situation that was presented before us.”

Despite the defeat, Hong Kong etched their name in the AFC Asian Cup history book when Philip Chan Siu Kwan scored the tournament’s 1,000th goal, earning head coach Jorn Andersen’s praise.

“Obviously, a lot of things did not go our way but I want to congratulate my team for their spirited performance, especially Philip on his historic achievement. He is ever reliable and can always be found in the right place and at the right time” said the Norwegian.

“In spite of being so far behind in ranking, the team played a high-pressing game and kept UAE under pressure. It is unfortunate that we conceded almost immediately after equalising and hence, concentration is something we will look at before our next two matches.

“Moreover, it would be great if some of our key players such as Walter Junior, who are still nursing injuries, return to the squad soon.”