UAE coach Mahdi Ali has backed youthful goal scorer Mohamed Al Akbari for a bright future after his winning strike in last night’s 1-0 friendly win against Myanmar.
Al Akbari, 19, showcased a burgeoning talent for finishing when played in by Mohamed Abdulrahman to break his international duck in just his second appearance. This low effort followed on from a predatory tap in for Al Wahda during last week’s Arabian Gulf League-opening triumph against Dibba Al Fujairah.
Spots in reserve to established centre forwards Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil remain up for grabs on the road to the 2018 World Cup. And speaking after the clash with the White Angels, Ali believed a new option was emerging. “I am happy for him, it is only his second game and he has scored,” he replied when asked to comment on the striker’s breakthrough performance.
“As a striker, scoring goals at an international level is not easy. Of course, this will be very good for him and the team. I think he has a good future. As a talented player, he has to start working a little harder. We will see him in the future as one of the best strikers.”
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Attention now switches to Thursday’s qualifying clash at home to minnows Malaysia. The fixture at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium is the Whites’ second assignment, following on from the slim 1-0 triumph against Timor-Leste which kicked off their campaign.
“It was good to play our first game after three months,” Ali said. “The players are coming from their pre-season camps with their clubs, so to see the level of fitness and tactical awareness was good. This gave us an idea about all the players, except the Al Ahli players [who sat out after their midweek AFC Champions League game].
“It was a good chance to give some new players a chance, there were four of them with Mohammed Ali Ayed, Mohamed Al Akbari, Ahmed Al Attas and Saeed Al Menhali. I am very happy with the game and it was a good chance before the Malaysia game.”
The UAE’s double AFC second round assignment concludes with a tricky trip to face Palestine at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium on September 8.