The Player
There were few shocks to be had in the last round of group matches, but Bahrain's last minute penalty victory over a highly impressive India, to qualify themselves and knock out their opponents, will undoubtedly go down as the most dramatic of moments in the group stage. Amidst the high tension, one man continues to stand in serenity; 21-year-old Bahraini centre half Hamad Al-Shamsan may not be necessarily making the headlines, but his presence has been integral in his country's knockout progression.
Tall, physical, quick on the turn (check out his chasing down of Udanta Singh in the second half) and confident in possession, it's difficult to pick holes in the defender's game. When indeed a long through pass is over hit, you reel in frustration, only to remember the player's fleeting age and experience, illustrating perfectly how he's grown into his starting role. Few expected Al-Shamsan to even see minutes at the Asian Cup, the fact he's played every second so far shows what faith Miroslav Soukup has in him.
Soukup's tenure has been that of growth, and long term planning. If that final minute penalty didn't come, Bahrain could have rest assured they have a strong unit, alongside a raft of young players looking to emulate the outgoing golden generation. In striker Abdullah Yusuf Helal, centre midfielder Mohamed Marhoon and wide man Ali Madan they have the capabilities to threaten the next level over the next cycle. For now though, thanks to Al-Shamsan's calmness in drawing that historic final minute penalty, Bahrain are dreaming of today.
The Team
There have been few teams to demonstrate the consistency and freshness that Kyrgyzstan have shown this tournament. From minute one against China, to their parting victory over Philippines, Alexandr Krestinin has formed a side tactically adept, physically ready and unfazed by the challenge that greets them. Drawing hosts UAE in the last 16 in their debut Asian Cup appearance, you can be sure that the White Falcons will be the one fully confident of causing an upset.
Against China and Korea, Kyrgyzstan set up, as many others do against the elite in Asia, five men at the back with a packed midfield. The difference between the likes of North Korea, Yemen or their neighbours Turkmenistan, who all put up a rearguard action but little else, Kyrgyzstan flexed when they needed to, scaring China early on, before creating a number of chances against Korea, falling short on both occasions by the odd goal. With a last day decider, the challenge was set to fully illustrate their attacking game.
And that they did. A comfortable 3-1 win (which could've been 3-0, but for a late goalkeeping error) was as imperious as any we've seen to date. Fixed in place by the phenomenal Valery Kichin in defence and their central midfield skipper Edgar Bernhardt who has been untouchable at times this tournament, the glory fell to German based Vitalij Lux, who went on to make history as the first Kyrgyz player to ever score a hat-trick in competitive play to fire his side through to the knockout stages. A phenomenal feat in their debut tournament, but this side represents more than a mere plucky underdog.
The Talking Point
Regularly a talking point in this continent's football, but officiating is again on the agenda, after a number of inconsistencies, lapses in judgement and clearly obvious errors shone a light again on the development of referees and the questionable selection criteria in place. Sadly, despite being in the third round of group stage matches, it has continued from a low base; the awarding of UAE's spot kick on day one by Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh unsurprisingly brought forward suggestions of favouring the host in their opening game, but that severely underestimates the usual standard of Asian officiating.
Since then we've seen linesmen standing out of line with the last defender, inconsistencies in bookable offences (Mohammed Saleh's red for Palestine v Syria, came after numerous examples of unpunished thuggery) and a ghost goal ruled out for Lebanon against Qatar after mere contact in the box. But the worst was still to come, as referee Cesar Arturo Ramos of Mexico (that well known Asian nation) took charge of the Group B decider between Australia and Syria.
His unwavering view of Mark Milligan's obvious looking handball was brushed off before "making amends" in strange fashion, as Omar Al-Somah was felled by his own player in the box. The resulting penalty mattered little, as Australia came back for a third time to win the match and book their progression, yet questions were flying in the Asian football fraternity; 1) why are the AFC offering a referee exchange scheme with Mexico/CONCACAF in their prized continental tournament in the first place and 2) when are standards going to improve across the continent?
For those of you who will point to VAR's implementation upon the quarter-final stage, you've come to the wrong person given my considerable views on the subject. Irrespective of the technology being treated as a silver-bullet to those so called clear mistakes, an area even Western Europe is starting to awake to in the last 24 hours, the quality of officiating isn't necessarily improved, rather mirrored in the VAR booth. Examples in Asia have already bared witness, if the refereeing is bad on the field, it's going to be similarly suspect off it. Australia, China and Saudi Arabia have all had mixed results in implementing it in their domestic leagues, so why God for bid is this the right time to bring it in to the international arena?
No comments:
Post a Comment