THEY call him ‘Mr Cool’. Left winger Faouzi Aaish who calmly slotted home a crucial penalty to take Bahrain into last night’s Gulf Cup semi-final clash against Iraq has been enjoying his well-deserved moment under the spotlight.
He hasn’t stopped smiling since smashing home the spot-kick high into the net and sending Qatar’s goalie the wrong way, clutching into thin air.
It was a magical moment to savour, especially as Bahrain had paid the ultimate penalty for missing one against New Zealand in a vital play-off return leg which cost them the chance of appearing for the first time in the World Cup Finals.
Aaish, 27, said: “It felt like a lot of responsibility, especially with all the fans in the stadium and the Bahraini community watching me on TV. I believe that I was the right person to keep cool and make the decisive strike.
“There isn’t any technique to mastering a successful penalty. I am confident and have trained well for the opportunity. I am not unlucky with chances so I just went out there and took it.
“I know we had an issue during the World Cup qualifier and I did not want a repeat of what happened in New Zealand. I needed to make that shot for my country and thank God I was successful.”
Bahrain was awarded the penalty after Qatar defender Bilal Mohammed handled the ball in the box. Aaish set the ball down, took a few steps backwards and hammered the ball into the upper left hand corner of the net for the winning goal and three vital points to secure a top two spot in the group stages.
The Muharraq star, born in Morocco, has represented Bahrain at international level since 2006 and played in that nightmare 1-0 defeat in windy Wellington when defender Sayed Adnan failed to convert a penalty, knowing a score draw would have taken the team to the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
As GulfWeekly went to press, Bahrain were hoping to secure a place in Friday’s Gulf Cup Final. However, it was crucial to get through to the knock-out stage for the pride of the nation hosting the prestigious competition.
And we have Mr Cool’s left foot to thank for that.
*See our sister paper the Gulf Daily News for the results of all last night’s football action.
