We must keep improving says Syria star

Mahmoud Al Mawas may have put in one of the most impressive individual displays the recent history of the AFC U-19 Championship but Syria’s hat-trick hero from the 5-1 win over Saudi Arabia insists that the team must still look to improve.

Al Mawas was the star of Sunday’s one-sided victory with goals in the 8th, 14th and 69th minutes before turning provider and setting up Adnan Al Taki and Samer Salem for Syria’s other two goals.

And with last year’s AFC U-19 Championship runners-up Australia next up for the Syrians, Al Mawas is hoping to see a step up from their five-star performance when they face the Young Socceroos on Tuesday.

“In each match we will try be better than the match before,” Al Mawas told www.the-afc.com.

“We surprised Saudi Arabia with three goals in the first 15 minutes and then we controlled the game but we all want to play better against Australia and then Qatar.”

Al Mawas’ virtuoso display against the Saudis was all the more surprising as the Al Karamah attacker – who had a spell with the reserve team of inaugural AFC Champions League winners Al Ain in 2009 – was playing on the right wing instead of his more familiar position up front.

“It is true that I play as forward, but I am ready to play wherever the coach wants. Against Saudi Arabia I played as a right winger, but whatever the coach requires from me I will do for the sake of the team.”

Despite his tender years Al Mawas has already taken part in a number of high profile tournaments for club and country. Most recently he found the net four times during Syria’s qualifying campaign for the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship and also featured in the Al Karamah squad for the Damascus giants’ 2009, 2010 and 2011 AFC Cup tournaments.

Not surprisingly, the chance to play at a FIFA U-20 World Cup is high on Al Mawas’ agenda and the youngster would even forgo any individual accolades in preference of qualification to next year’s international tournament in Turkey.

“Of course every player wants to be the top scorer award and the MVP award and while I hope to get something with the help of my team-mates, our main target is to reach World Cup.

“But our ambition doesn’t stop at reaching the World Cup. We want to also win the Asian title”.