Goals in each half from Ahmed Khalil and Ali Ahmed Mabkhout handed the UAE a well-earned victory at the King Fahd International Stadium.
But the end of the match was marred by a shocking two-footed lunging tackle by New Zealand's Ben Sigmund, which saw the defender given a straight red card.
Sigmund was given his marching orders for jumping at the legs of goal-scorer Mabkhout in the 89th minute.
''I think it's just frustration,'' All Whites coach Ricki Herbert said of Sigmund's poor challenge.
''People want to come here and do well and I think it was just the state of the game and where it was at.
"But you've got to accept that responsibility.''
The incident capped a miserable night for New Zealand, who were outplayed by the 111th-ranked UAE outfit.
Played in energy-sapping 35-degree heat, the UAE settled quicker and went in front inside 11 minutes after a defensive mix-up between Winston Reid and Andrew Durante.
Reid appeared to be ready to clear what should have been a simple cross but Durante got a faint touch to it, with the ball falling invitingly to the feet of Mabkhout.
And he showed good awareness to cut the ball back for Khalil, who finished clinically into an open net.
The second goal came 10 minutes after the break when Abdulrahman took a quick free kick which caught the New Zealand defence napping.
Mabkhout found himself in acres of space on the edge of New Zealand's penalty area and he coolly curled a shot past Glen Moss.
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