Manuel Lanzini impressed his new fans as he made his Al Jazira debut in the IPIC Cup, a three-team friendly tournament being hosted by Jazira, with a 4-1 win over the Bahrain league champions Eastern Riffa on Tuesday.
Stepped in:
The Argentine midfielder, only 21, who arrived from River Plate last month, took on the role of striker in the absence of more than half of Jazira’s first team lineup, including foreign signings Mirko Vucinic and Jonathan Pitroipa, scoring once and assisting in the two other first-half goals netted by the Brazilian Jucilei.
Stepped up:
“This is his third game after the two frindlies in the camp in Switzerland and in each occasion he has stepped up his performance,” said the team manager, Ayedh Mabkhout. “This was the best he played so far and we hope he will continue to improve and become a key player for us.”
Stepped forward:
Lanzini’s first assist was a beauty. He took possession, outfoxed the Riffa defence, then rolled the ball inside the box for Jucilei to poke it past a hapless goalkeeper for a 10th-minute lead. He scored with a first-time shot when set up inside the box by Jucilei and then curled in a corner for the Brazilian to head his second to make it 3-0. Lanzini came off in the 70th minute after a performance that will give Jazira fans heart ahead of the Arabian Gulf League season, which starts on September 15. Jazira travel to Ajman for their first game.
Next step:
The Asian Champions League semi-finalists Western Sydney Wanderers meet Riffa in the second match of the IPIC Cup on Thursday and face Jazira in the final game on Sunday, both at the Military Stadium.
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