Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira’s mercurial striker Ali Mabkhout, with an opportunistic strike against Urawa Red Diamonds, has put his team into a position no UAE team has ever been in — a place in the semi-finals of the Fifa Club World Cup.
Even the purists of Al Jazira fans wouldn’t have expected such a show from The Pride of Abu Dhabi. Mabkhout, who walked away with the man-of-the-match award for his match-winning effort, hailed his team for the spirit they showed on the night.
“First I say thanks to God. My teammates played very well. We had difficulties at the beginning but then with the effort of my teammates, we managed to do very well,” said a jubilant Mabkhout adding that his side made a conscious effort to not let the thought of playing Real hamper their preparation against Urawa.
“If we had thought about playing Real, we would have lost this game. We had to show respect to Urawa as they are the champions of Asia. They are strong and we respected them, which is why we won today’s game,” asserted Mabkhout adding, “We didn’t want to think about Real but now it’s possible to look at them and think about it. We know they are one of the best teams in the world so this is an incentive for all the players.”
Mabkhout was confident that his side won’t be overawed by the stature of the European Champions and will continue in the same vein as they have done so far in the tournament.
“It was a very important win and this is a big victory for us. We hope to play well against Real and believe in ourselves. We respected Urawa, that’s not to say we didn’t think we could beat them, no we believed we could win. They were very strong and we were lucky sometimes,” said Mabkhout, who also felt that the success in such a prestigious tournament was a huge shot in the arm of UAE football.
“This is good for us and the country. Now we are not only playing under the name of Al Jazira but also the UAE. Hopefully, we can carry on the good work even against Real.”
Al Jazira’s attacking mid-fielder Mbark Boussoufa also echoed the same sentiments as Mabkhout but felt, they let Urawa dominate and that made things difficult.
“It wasn’t easy, they were dominating, but in the end we did well and we were sometimes very dangerous on the counter. This was our goal from the beginning, our tactic was like this, and I think it’s a well- deserved win. It’s the first time a team from the UAE has got to the semi-final, so it’s like writing history for us,” said Boussoufa, who also recalled his experience of playing against the Spanish power house Real Madrid as a 20-year-old, during his stint at Anderlecht
“I was very young when I played against Real. I think I have a little more experience because I’ve played Champions League and Europa League. Especially the local boys, it’s a dream to play against Real Madrid. I don’t think many believed we’d win today’s game either, so anything’s possible but of course, we have major respect for Real Madrid,” said Boussoufa adding that the key will be to enjoy and not worry about the reputation of the opponent.
“As footballers, we don’t have any reason to fear anything. We’ll just enjoy the game and enjoy being on such a big stage. For a small country and a small club in the UAE, to come onto a world stage like this is just fantastic.”
