Zaccheroni: Ahmed Khalil one of the best in Asia

Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates head coach Alberto Zaccheroni believes forward Ahmed Khalil is ‘one of the best in Asia’ after he came off the bench to help the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 hosts seal a 3-2 extra-time win over Kyrgyz Republic and a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.

Khalil’s 103rd minute penalty proved the difference on a night when the UAE had twice gone ahead only to be pegged back by their resilient Central Asian opponents.

The 27-year-old’s spot-kick success was his second of the competition following his penalty in the final moments of the UAE’s 1-1 draw with Bahrain on Matchday One.

“Ahmed Khalil is a very good striker, he is one of the best in Asia,” Zaccheroni said of the 2015 AFC Player of the Year.

“When I took over the UAE team [at the end of 2017], he was injured and had not trained for a long time. He has also been injured many times recently and did not play often for his club.

“Nevertheless, he is a very good player, and I have to say that I rely on him a lot. He does so much for the team.”

 


Match Highlights - January 21

Runners-up in 2015, the UAE will now face reigning champions Australia in the last eight, with Zaccheroni admitting that there is work to be done before Friday’s meeting in Al Ain.

“I admit that against Kyrgyz Republic we seemed to struggle with long ball and crosses and we also had one or two chances to score and secure the game, but we didn’t convert those opportunities,” he said.

“We will try to correct all the things that we believe were less positive between now and the quarter-finals. We now have three days to assess our squad and their injuries before we face a strong Australia team.”

Despite the defeat, opposite number Alexsandr Krestinin remains adamant that Kyrgyz Republic’s impressive campaign is a sign of bigger and better things to come for the tournament debutants.

“I want to thank all the players and staff, everyone who have been working with us during the tournament. They have all done a good job but unfortunately we are now out of the competition,” he said.

“My overall feeling is that the tournament has been a good one for us, but of course, we regret missing our chances. However, we are on the right path, we are progressing. During the tournament we have had many positive experiences which are definitely going to help us in the future.

“This was our first performance in the competition and at such a high level, but I already know it will not be our last one. In the future, we are going to be playing better and better.”


Source: the-afc.com