Melaka: Firas Al Khatib insists that Syria showed too much respect to Australia after a superb second half performance saw Omar Al Soma’s late penalty secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Continental Play-off on Thursday.
Robbie Kruse put the Socceroos in front five minutes before the interval at Hang Jebat Stadium and Tomi Juric then struck the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds soon after the restart, before the Qasioun Eagles began to dominate proceedings.
Al Khatib’s (pictured below, left) introduction in the final 15 minutes proved inspirational as the 34-year-old took control of the game, and Syria were eventually rewarded when Al Soma fired home a penalty with five minutes remaining after he had been upended by Mathew Leckie.
“Thank God we got the draw when we were almost going lose, despite being the better side for most of the match,” said 34-year-old Al Khatib.
“We respected Australia too much and gave them chances to score. Anyway, the first leg is over and there are positives and negatives to take from this match.
“Today, our performance was good, better than some of our previous matches. But the result could have been better.”
Having played no part in Syria’s first five matches in Group A, Qatar-based Al Khatib was recalled for the 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Malaysia in March this year.
The Syrians have lost just once since the playmaker returned to the squad in a time in which late goals have become a constant theme.
Five of the Qasioun Eagles’ last nine goals have now come after the 85th minute, with Al Soma’s injury-time strike in Tehran securing the 2-2 draw that confirmed the clash with Australia.
Again faced with a continental heavyweight, Syria’s never-say-die attitude was evident once more and Al Soma’s spot-kick ensured Ayman Al Hakeem’s side have left the tie firmly in the balance.
The teams will now travel to Sydney for the second leg on Tuesday, when Syria will be looking to pick up their first win on the road since a 1-0 victory in China a year ago.
“The second leg is going to be very difficult when we play in their stadium in front of their fans,” added Al Khatib.
“We will be missing some players who got booked tonight too. But the players did well today and hopefully we can repeat that in the next game and perform even better.”
Photos: AFC & Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com