AFC Asian Cup: Ali Mabkhout is the key for UAE

Bengaluru, January 29: As they are set to take on Qatar in the semifinal, the UAE's hopes of a maiden AFC Asian Cup final berth rests on star striker Ali Mabkhout's shoulders.

The Al Jazira forward was the star marksman of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, finishing as the top scorer with five goals, and has netted in the last four matches of the host nation's run to the semifinals of this year's tournament.

Emirati supporters were justifiably concerned when injury ruled dynamic playmaker Omar Abdulrahman out of the tournament, but for the second edition running, Mabkhout has emerged as the UAE's attacking focal point.

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He is now just four goals shy of Adnan Al Tanyani's all-time UAE record of 52 international goals, and, if he scores again in Tuesday's semifinal, he will become the first player in history to score five goals in successive AFC Asian Cups.

Mabkhout will be in familiar surrounds in the semifinal at Al Jazria's Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, where he has scored a large chunk of the 33 goals which won him the 2016-17 UAE Pro League Golden Boot.

The making of an #AsianCup2019 star 🌟@Nsoo7y takes us into @AlJazira_uae academy to find out how it all started for @uaent2019's Ali Mabkhout. pic.twitter.com/O3x35SZCsl

— #AsianCup2019 (@afcasiancup) January 29, 2019

Wael El Sisi remembers Mabkhout's rise through the Al Jazira youth ranks, and the technical manager of the club's academy is proud of what the former pupil has achieved.

"At first, he wasn't an outstanding player, but after turning 18, we started seeing the real Ali Mabkhout," El Sisi said.

"He showed a great goal scoring instinct and the character of a future star. We worked with him on technical and mental aspects to prepare him for first team football and the rest is history."

"Watching Mabkhout play so well really motivates the young players here, being able to see someone who has come through Al Jazira academy not just playing for the first team, but also starring for the UAE in the AFC Asian Cup.

"We have already started seeing more and more players dreaming of playing for the national team," he added.

The white-hot spotlight of an AFC Asian Cup semifinal would be enough to unsettle many players, but Mabkhout has reason to believe he will be able to deal with the pressure.

He has the experience of this stage of the competition from Australia 2015, and the confidence of finding the back of the net twice the last time his played against Qatar, during a 4-1 win at the same tournament and he will be eyeing an encore on Tuesday.

(Source: AFC)