Arabian Gulf League: Munoz can strike it rich, says Baniyas teammate

Strike partner Senghor sure Chilean will bag goals, writes Amith Passela.

Baniyas' Carlos Munoz.
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Carlos Munoz, the Chile international playing his first game for Baniyas, worked his way down the left and sent a neat pass to Andre Senghor, providing the tall Senegalese striker plenty of time to take aim at the goal.

However, his low shot from 25 yards crashed against the left post.

Had it hit the back of the net, his team could have cancelled the 1-0 lead of Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia and taken the game to a penalty shoot-out decider in the four-team friendly tournament finale at the Baniyas Stadium on Sunday night.

While Nassr were crowned the champions, Senghor is convinced his new partnership with Munoz will blossom.

"Everyone is aware of Munoz's reputation, and of course, I am looking forward to striking a good partnership with him to share the goal-scoring responsibilities," Senghor said. "He arrived at the club only last week, but was eager to get onto the pitch and soak in some of the action in this competition. I will have more time to play alongside him during our camp in Austria and be ready for the season."

Senghor is in his fourth season at Baniyas and has topped the club scoring charts each of the past three years, despite having played alongside many combinations.

"I hope and wish it will be more successful with Munoz than it has been in the previous seasons," he said. "We want to help each other. Obviously, we will play to the game plans of the coach [Jorge da Silva], because the team comes first and the success of the team is paramount."

Senghor has been around for quite a long time. He was first signed by Al Ain in 2006 and loaned to Al Karamah of Syria, then to Raja Casablanca of Morocco the following season, before returning to the Garden City in 2008.

"I am just happy to play for the team that has employed me," he said. "At the moment, I am really enjoying my time at Baniyas. We won the Gulf Clubs Championship last season. It was the club's [second] trophy and it has really given a massive boost for the team. We also finished fourth in the league and now are looking forward to improve that record and hopefully win something more."

Christian Wilhelmsson, the Swede whose contract was extended after joining Baniyas during the mid-season transfer window, thinks it is too early to speak of the new players and combinations.

"We have played two friendlies and this was just to give the players a feel of the competition," he said.

"It is not the right conditions to play matches, because it is too humid and tiring.

He said the camp in Austria, from August 12 to 29, "would be the ideal time to evaluate the squad, as we have some new players to work out the combinations".

He added: "Of course, the club has big ambitions and I would like to think we can deliver, because we have assembled a stronger squad."

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