Al Aswad: Bahrain can stop Son

Dubai: Son Heung-min is an outstanding player, but one who can be stopped - that's the assessment of Bahrain midfielder Komail Al Aswad ahead of his side's AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Round of 16 clash against Korea Republic.

Continuing his sparkling recent form for Tottenham Hotspur, Son made an instant impact in his first appearance in the competition, creating seven goal scoring opportunities to help guide Paulo Bento's side to a 2-0 win over China PR on Matchday Three of Group C.

Al Aswad is one of many who believes Son is among the continent's best footballers, but he remains confident of his side's ability to keep the star man quiet at Rashid Stadium on Tuesday.

"Son is one of the best players at the tournament and, in my opinion, he is playing in the one of best leagues in the world," he said.

"It will be special to play against him, but we think we can stop him on the field."

Bahrain reached the Round of 16 by virtue of being one of the best-ranked third-placed teams, with a last-gasp 1-0 win over India ultimately making the difference between progression and an early flight home across the Gulf.

By contrast, Korea Republic breezed through their group with three successive wins, and three successive clean sheets, marking the East Asians as one of the tournament favourites going into the knockout stage.

But while the Koreans are clear favourites for Tuesday's clash, a status perhaps further underlined by their 6-0 win against Bahrain at last year's largely Under-23 Asian Games, defensive midfielder Al Aswad says expectations are also high for his side, in what he considers a once in a lifetime fixture.

"There’s some pressure for you, because we want to win the game," he explained.

"Of course, Korea Republic are very tough opposition but we want to win and qualify for the next round.

"You could call it the "game of a career" because if we do well in this match it could open up a lot of doors for our players, so it’s a very good game to be involved in."

Bahrain may lack the star power of the Koreans, eight of whom ply their trade in England, Germany or Italy, but Al Aswad believes his side can benefit from a factor which has little to do with names or reputations: desire.

"We have to play with passion, we have to play with heart, we have to fight from the first minute to the last minute," said the 24-year-old. "This is even more important than the tactics, and if we do that we can win the game."

"Of course it’s special when you see the people of Bahrain happy – our families, our friends. Everyone was happy after we qualified for the Round of 16.

"Now, if we win this game, they will be even happier, so that’s what we are thinking about. "


Source: the-afc.com