Ask any Emirati football fan which player holds the key to Gulf Cup success for the national team and you are likely to get one answer. Yet, as Omar Abdulrahman continues his recovery from injury, there is an opportunity for a new hero to emerge.
One player from the UAE squad for next month’s tournament in Saudi Arabia, announced on Sunday, stands out. Al Jazira forward Ali Mabkhout is hitting top form at just the right time.
It is a comforting thought for UAE manager Mahdi Ali. Mabkhout has been his most trusted finisher over the last year, and domestically, he is excelling in a rejuvenated team.
This season he has already scored five times in seven Arabian Gulf League matches, the most by an Emirati player. He had scored seven in the entire 2013/14 league campaign.
In Jazira’s last league outing, he plundered two goals in a 3-2 win over Al Ain at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, and he scored in the previous week’s 4-2 loss at champions Al Ahli, too.
Tonight at Kalba, in the last match before the AGL goes on a break for a month due to the Gulf Cup, Mabkhout will aim to continue his fine goal-scoring form before the UAE squad heads to Saudi Arabia on tomorrow night.
Mabkhout has formed a partnership with summer signing Mirko Vucinic and the Montenegrin international has topped the league’s goalscoring charts with 10 goals, which included four in a dramatic 4-3 win over Al Ain.
Between them, Mabkhout and Vucinic have scored 15 of Al Jazira’s 16 league goals, the best total by any AGL team this term.
Mahdi Ali could be the real beneficiary of his fine form so early in the season. The UAE’s results have dipped significantly in 2014 after going the whole of 2013 undefeated.
One goal in five winless matches, culminating in 4-0 thrashing by Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi earlier this month that ended a three-year unbeaten run at home, has the team entering the Gulf Cup in far-from-ideal shape.
Mabkhout aside, it is hard to see where the goals are going to come from. The midfield, in Abdulrahman’s absence, has lacked any goal threat. Ahmed Khalil, Mabkhout’s striking partner, is going through one of his frequent non-productive phases, and captain Ismail Matar has yet to recover fully from injuries.
The goal-scoring burden looks to be squarely on Mabkhout’s shoulders and it’s a challenge he has accepted in the past.
He has yet to score for his country this season, however.
The friendly match against Lebanon at Dammam on November 6 will be a chance for Mabkhout and his fellow strikers to get back on track before the UAE’s opening fixture against Oman on November 14.
With the dearth of striking options, Mabkhout’s importance to the national team is greater than ever.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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