If Aston Villa fans were wondering how Philippe Coutinho was getting on in Qatar, then today is the day they find out.
AS cover the Brazilian midfielder today after he made his debut for new club Al Duhail and, as we’ve seen before, it seems he’s starting off on the right foot.
The newspaper reports that Coutinho made his ‘big debut’ in Qatar yesterday in the clash with Al Markhiya and it seems he did not disappoint.
They say that the midfielder made his debut ‘in the style that a championship’ like that of the Qatar Stars League allows, bagging a goal in his debut in the eventual 2-1 win.
He ‘did not disappoint’ after starting the game for Hernan Crespo’s side, who he joined on loan from Aston Villa at the end of the summer transfer window.
With the scores tied at 1-1 just before half time he curled home a free kick from just outside the area that demonstrated while his ‘football has gone down’ his ability to hit a ball has not.
AS do say there will be those questioning the goalkeeper as he could have done more but the truth is that the ‘thread of the shot was wonderful’.
With the win, Coutinho’s new team moved up to third in the table, but the focus will undoubtedly be on Coutinho, who it seems has made the perfect start to life away from Aston Villa. Whether he can maintain that remains to be seen.
