Magic man Mabkhout
Cometh the hour and cometh the man, And, Ali Mabkhout was the man of the hour on Saturday night when his magical touch downed the Asian Champions - Urawa Red Diamonds - to set up a semifinal clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The Emirati striker is taking giant strides to put his name among the all-time great UAE players. On Saturday night, the Emirati striker scored the winner to pin down AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal, which saw many chances go begging in the first half. However, seven minutes after the break Al Jazira went up and Zayed Sports City Stadium erupted in joy.
It was a measured pass by Brazilian star Romarinho and an advancing Mabkhout coolly placed it past Urawa keeper. Mabkhout showed exemplary calmness to score arguably the most important goal of his career. Be it the Gulf Cup of Nations, the AFC Asian Cup or the Arabian Gulf League and the President’s Cup, Mabkhout has always delivered when it mattered.
It’s not just his heroics on the field but his statesmanlike conduct off it which is a remarkable quality that sets him apart from the rest.
“This win is for everyone. We have achieved this for the country. We don’t just play for Al Jazira but the UAE too,” Mabkhout said in Abu Dhabi.
Describing the encounter, the 27-year-old said: “I thank God for this victory. I am very happy to be able to score and help my team in an important match.”
He noted the win was possible because of a collective effort and not just a moment of individual brilliance.
“I scored the goal but my teammates played very well. This win was possible because of complete team effort.”
Mabkhout highlighted how an injury-hit squad has edged its way up in the current Arabian
We had a lot of difficulties in beginning of the season but with great team effort we have managed to do well Ali Mabkhout
Gulf League season. He noted team spirit as an important factor for turnaround seen in Al Jazira’s fortunes.
“We had a lot of difficulties in beginning of the season but with great team effort we have managed to do well.”
Come Wednesday, the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ are in the semifinals – the first team from the UAE to do so. And celebrate the achievement in style with a dream match against the Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Mabkhout accepted that all talks have been about the clash even before the tournament started. He said the team had decided not to think about the encounter as it would put undue pressure on everyone.
“If we had been thinking about match against Real Madrid before playing Urawa, we would have lost the encounter. We would have lost our concentration. So we focused fully on Urawa. We had to show respect to the Asian Champions. We knew they were a tough side. We prepared accordingly and this is how we won.”
And clash against ‘Los Vikingos’, he said, is a reward for the team’s hard work.
“Now that we are in the semifinals, we can talk about Real Madrid. It’s finally possible. We had worked hard to get here. And this is our reward. We play against one of the best teams in the world,” Al Jazira talisman said.
If Al Jazira are to have a glimmer of hope against holders Real Madrid then Mabkhout and team need to come up with something special but for now it’s time to bask in the glory of being the first team from the UAE to reach the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals and a top four finish confirmed.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com