MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
By now you’ve probably heard it. Or at least you should have.
Omar Al Somah scored and commentator Talal Bosanli, calling the game on television, broke down in tears. The Syrian had “lost it”, he conceded, as his voice creaked and the emotion overwhelmed. But his team had done anything but.
Syria drew with Iran in Tehran. They scored twice against Group A’s winners, the second in injury time, the first goals the hosts had conceded in the third and final stage of qualification. Al Somah had snatched a 2-2 draw, earning a priceless point and sealing third place in Group A in the pool's final fixture. Third place and a continental play-off this week against Australia, the most recent winners of the Asian Cup.
Syria’s bid for a first World Cup appearance, improbable anyway but deemed impossible when set against the backdrop of the country’s civil war, was extended to another two matches at least. To four matches from Russia next summer.
And so to Australia, three-time World Cup participants, the reigning continental champions. To a play-off to extend to another, final play-off. The “home” leg on Thursday, in Malaysia, then the return fixture in Sydney five days later.
Undoubtedly, the Australians are favourites. For most, the Syrians are the popular choice. Irrespective of the groundswell of support, or whether the Syrian football story is quite the fairytale some suggest, Ayman Hakeem’s side possess genuine quality. They can hurt Australia.
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Their three-pronged forward line, especially. At its tip, Al Somah is one of the region’s finest strikers. He has featured for Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli since 2014, scoring 78 goals in 73 league matches. He is both a predator and a perfect foil for his fellow attackers.
Alongside him, Omar Khribin is a player of considerable talent, too. Formerly of the UAE’s Al Dhafra, he has excelled with Al Hilal, initially on loan for the second half of last season, and then since the move was made permanent this summer.
Prior to the transfer, Al Ain had expressed an interest. Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Al Nasr and Al Wahda, also. But Khribin chose Hilal. Last week, his hat-trick in Abu Dhabi, in the first leg of the Asian Champions League semi-final against Iran’s Persepolis, carried his club to the verge of another showpiece appearance. He now has 21 goals in 27 appearances for Hilal.
Meanwhile, in captain Firas Al Khatib, Syria have experience and expertise. His return to the national team in March caused controversy, given he had stepped down in 2012, declaring that he would not represent his country while the bombing of civilians persisted. Yet he is back in the fold. His reasoning remains vague.
"Better for me, better for my country, better for my family, better for everybody if I not talk about that," said Al Khatib, 34.
Purely in sporting terms, as unquestionably difficult that is to separate from the political situation in Syria, it is better for his country. With Al Khatib returning, and Al Somah as well - the game in Iran was only his seventh at international level – the team concluded the last round of qualification with a draw against China, victory against Qatar and the point in Tehran.
In three matches, Syria scored seven goals. In their previous seven, they found the net twice. Evidently, they have gotten stronger.
Throughout, their form in Malaysia has been sturdy. There, Syria held South Korea and Iran, the group’s lead sides, to goalless draws. Another against Australia on Thursday would offer legitimate hope of progression in Sydney.
The Hang Jebat Stadium, close to the city of Melaka, with its uneven pitch and largely empty stands, could provide a relatively unremarkable setting to add another layer to an already remarkable journey. Even with their triple threat in attack, Syria should be defensive and dogged.
Australia should be superior, especially across two legs, but they must also be wise to the size of the task. Considered to be fighting for something altogether greater, Syria cannot be underestimated.
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Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
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Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10