Saudis poised to return to summit of Asian soccer
Saudis poised to return to summit of Asian soccer
ABU DHABI (AFP): Saudi Arabia is poised to return to the summit of Asian football when it plays United Arab Emirates in the final of the Asian Cup here today.
The match will be shown live on ANteve beginning at 10.30 p.m.
Four years after losing 1-0 to Japan in the final in Hiroshima, the Saudis, who in the past three finals have won the title twice, are determined to reinforce their superiority in the region.
With joint pre-tournament favorites Japan and South Korea crashing out in humiliating fashion in the quarterfinals, Saudi Arabia has ended up facing the weakest of the four semifinalists.
But Portuguese coach Eduardo Vingada has a major problem - trying to convince the confident Saudi team to take UAE seriously.
The Saudis, by far the most impressive team here, have failed to cash in on their superiority.
In the semifinal against Iran they were outplayed for most of the match and only managed to scrape through in a penalty shoot- out.
In Youssuf Al-Thunayan, Khalid Al-Muwalid and Khalid Al Timavi, Vingada has three midfield players who are capable of turning a match.
But Al-Thunayan, whose genius transformed the Saudi team when he came on against China in the quarterfinal after his side was trailing 2-0, failed to deliver in the semifinals against an impressive Iran and was pulled off in the second half.
The 25-year-old Al-Muwalid, supposedly one of the classiest players in the tournament, has blown hot and cold and failed to stamp his authority on the team.
Major problem
Al Timavi has also failed to show any consistency and Vingada must find a way to lift the 'brains' of his team if the Saudis are to take their third Asian Cup.
Another major problem for Vingada is the fact that his opponents are the UAE.
"If we lose against the UAE it is not big deal. We will try to beat them but we will have no problem if they win," said one Saudi official.
Vingada wanted to meet Japan or another East Asian team in the final. Such a match-off would have automatically motivated his players but playing neighboring UAE, with no real rivalry between the two countries, there remains a lingering doubt over the Saudi team's commitment.
For the Emirates, the built-in desire to win is stronger. Only two weeks ago the country celebrated its silver jubilee and the thought of topping off the celebrations with an Asian Cup win could well decide the outcome.
And the fact that the UAE has never even reached the final before, never mind winning the title, gives extra spice to a match that on paper the Saudis should walk.
Rough-house tactics against Kuwait in the semifinal booked UAE's place in the final.
It also lifted their Yugoslav coach Tomislav Ivic to near cult status.
For over 10 years Ivic has barely had time to unpack his case as he criss-crossed the world.
Since 1983 Ivic has never spent more than a year with either clubs or international squads under his command.
His journey to the UAE included passing via such top teams as Paris St. Germain, Marseille, Porto, and Benfica. With Porto he lifted the European Super Cup and the Intercontential Cup.
From the start of the tournament the UAE has struggled to convince but when the final whistle came it had always managed to do just enough to snatch victory.
The Emirates are looking to Ivic to weave his magic once more before he is almost certain to grab his bags and move on to another post in another country.
If Ivic can conjure up an against-the-odds UAE victory, the country's birthday celebrations will be complete.