CANBERRA: Qatar's striker Meshal Abdullah on Sunday said the players were to blame for their uninsipid display against the UAE in the Asian Cup opener. On Sunday, the UAE beat Qatar 4-1 after the Al Anabi took the lead through Khalfan Ibrahim. A brace each from forwards Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout gave the UAE a comprehensive 4-1 win over Gulf Cup champions Qatar in their AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 Group C opener at Canberra Stadium on Sunday. "We congratulate the UAE side on their win," Abdullah said in a statement. "We as players take responsibility for the loss to the UAE because we as players were not up to the responsibility and the whole team was far from the expected level," he added. "This is the case with football - you win some and you lose some. We have to do our best in the remaining two games," he said. "I hope we can strike back after this upset," Abdullah said. "Our task of reaching the next stage has become difficult but we can turn things around," he said. Qatar take on Iran and Bahrain in their remaining two matches.