Asian "Shevchenko" eyes history for Bahrain
By Nazvi Careem
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Reuters) - When Aala Hubail turned up at a news conference during the Asian Cup in China last year, the waiting reporters were not very happy to see him.
The journalists wanted his brother Mohamed who had impressed them with two goals for Bahrain in the opening two matches of the tournament. Instead, they got Aala who awkwardly answered questions about his younger brother rather than himself.
ADVERTISEMENT
By the end of the tournament though it was the reporters who felt awkward and embarrassed.
For it was Aala Hubail who went on to score five goals at the Asian Cup and finish joint top scorer in the competition as Bahrain reached the semi-finals.
His performance prompted then-Bahrain coach Srecko Juricic to describe the 1.70-metre player as the "Andriy Shevchenko" of Asian football and Hubail has been attempting to live up to that accolade ever since.
The 23-year-old is now recognised as one of Asia's top strikers and will play a key role for Bahrain against Trinidad and Tobago home and away in the final stages of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
"He is a very important player for us," said Bahrain coach Luka Peruzovic, whose team face Trinidad in Port of Spain on Saturday in the first leg.
KNEE INJURY
Hubail, who has scored five goals in the qualifiers despite sitting out seven months of the competition with a knee cartilage injury, returned to the side for the second leg of the Asian play-off against Uzbekistan last month.
Although he failed to make an impact in that match, Hubail showed he had rediscovered his form with two goals for his Qatari club Al Gharafa in the 2-2 draw against Al Rayyan at the weekend.
"I'm 100 per cent fit and ready to play all 180 minutes against Trinidad and Tobago," Hubail told reporters after the Bahrain side arrived in the Caribbean.
Hubail, who made the Asian Football Confederation's All-Star team in 2004, has been with the national set-up since June 2003 after impressing Juricic.
The Croatian, who suddenly quit Bahrain in the middle of their World Cup qualifying campaign, said at the time that Hubail, despite his small stature, was good enough to play for a top European club.
"He is a must for the national team to win matches," said Juricic. "I really believe he would be a success on the continental stage. He is strong, fast and lethal. He has great vision and a deft finishing touch.
"He is unique in many ways. He looks completely different from most Arab players, who rely too much on their individual skills. He performs just like a European player, working hard, running tirelessly and attacking relentlessly.
"Just like Shevchenko, he's a versatile forward who can score in many ways."
FIRST FINALS
Hubail will need all those qualities to come to the fore if Bahrain are to beat Trinidad and Tobago and reach their first World Cup finals.
Trinidad will be led by former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke with West Ham's Shaka Hislop in goal.
The playoff, with the second leg scheduled for November 16 in Manama, is the climax of long and difficult journeys for both teams.
Bahrain finished third in their final Asian qualification group and then beat Uzbekistan over three matches to earn them a shot at Trinidad.
The first match in Tashkent finished 1-0 to the Uzbeks but FIFA annulled the result because of a refereeing error.
Given fresh hope, Bahrain held Uzbekistan to a 1-1 draw in the replayed first leg and drew 0-0 at home in the second leg to qualify on away goals.
Apart from the honour of playing in Germany, Bahrain players can expect financial rewards if they overcome Trinidad.
Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, president of the General Organisation for Youth and Sports, has reportedly told the players they can look forward to the biggest cash prizes in Bahrain sports history should they qualify for the World Cup.
A private jet will fly the team home from Trinidad and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has ordered an open budget for the team's training camp.
All they need now is for Hubail to deliver the goals.
Updated on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 8:00 pm EST
Email to a Friend | View
