The AFC Player of the Year insists that beating Japan is crucial to UAE's World Cup ambitions.
Omar Abdulrahman has stressed the importance of a win against Japan in Thursday’s crucial Group B 2018 World Cup qualifier in Al Ain.
UAE are fourth in their group but only a point behind the second-placed Japanese and will draw encouragement from their victory over the Asian giants last September, when Ahmed Khalil scored a brace to secure a memorable 2-1 win for the visiting side.
Abdulrahman and his team-mates are fully aware of what's riding on the encounter.