Asian glory beckons for Al Ain magician Omar
Al Ain face Jeonbuk in ACL final; Omar favourite to win best Asian player award
Mop-topped magician Omar Abdulrahman will be expected to cast a spell over the AFC Champions League final when Al Ain take on Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the first leg in Seoul on Saturday.
The shaggy-haired playmaker, nicknamed ‘Amoory’, has been turning heads in recent years and he looks unlikely to shrink in the spotlight when he contests his first major final. Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona have all been linked with moves for the silkysmooth Abdulrahman, although he has so far resisted a move from the Arabian Gulf League.
He set last year’s Asian Cup alight, chipping a memorable Panenka penalty as UAE ousted holders Japan, but the final eluded him when the Emiratis lost to Australia in the semis.
Abdulrahman has again stood out in this year’s Champions League, where apart from his three goals and five assists, he has been man of the match in eight of his 12 appearances.
The home-and-away final looks tailor-made for the 25-year-old, who, according to the script, will lift the Asian club trophy in the return leg on November 26.
One week later, Abdulrahman, who heads a shortlist of three, is a shoo-in to be named Asian player of the year at an awards ceremony also held in Abu Dhabi.
But Abdulrahman, whose brothers Mohamed and Khaled also play for Al Ain, says personal honours will count for little if they cannot overcome a dangerous Jeonbuk side. “I don’t think of being the best player, all I’m thinking of now is going to the final and doing well with the national team,” he told the Asian Football Confederation website. “The AFC Champions League means far more to me than being Asia’s best player. I hope to be number one with the whole team. I want to go to the final
If I win the best player and we lose the championship, it doesn’t mean anything — we’ve lost everything. It only matters if you win the final. So I hope to win both Omar Abdulrahman
and win the championship.
“If I win the best player and we lose the championship, it doesn’t mean anything — we’ve lost everything. It only matters if you win the final. So I hope to win both.” Abdulrahman appears to be peaking at the right time and he scored in both legs of the semifinal as Al Ain beat Qatar’s El Jaish 5-3 on aggregate.
Meanwhile victory would taste especially sweet for Jeonbuk after a match-fixing scandal precipitated their near-miss in the KLeague Classic. Jeonbuk were cruising to a third straight title when they were hit with a ninepoint deduction and a 100 million won ($85,000) fine after one of their scouts was convicted of bribing referees. The team from Jeonju ultimately ceded the title on the last day of the season with a 1-0 defeat to FC Seoul — who avenged their loss to Jeonbuk in the Champions League semifinals. Jeonju boast formidable Brazilian firepower in the shape of Leonardo, who has eight goals in the competition so far, and Ricardo Lopes, who has three.
They can also call on the evergreen talents of Lee Dong-Gook, 37, the Champions League’s alltime record scorer with 32 goals, who has lost none of his sharpness around the box.
Both teams are looking for their second Champions League title after Al Ain won in 2003 and Jeonbuk were crowned Asia’s top side in 2006. — AFP