There are few marksmen in international football as deadly as the UAE's Ali Mabkhout right now.
The Al Jazira frontman made it 15 goals in just 14 games for his country with a hat-trick as Mahdi Ali's men eased to a 4-0 win in Hong Kong to tighten their grip on Group E in Asian Cup qualifying.
Mabkhout's treble means the 23-year-old has now scored in each of his last five games for The Whites, a run that has seen him net seven goals.
Walid Abbas, who provided the assist for Makhbout's opener and was equally as impressive throughout, added a fourth late on as the UAE stretched their winning-streak to 15 games in all competitions.
The victory came just hours after the sad passing of Bruno Metsu – the man who masterminded the UAE's first ever Gulf Cup triumph in 2007 and who tragically lost his year-long battle with cancer in the small hours of Tuesday.
The Frenchman would have certainly approved of the manner of the UAE's stylish win here, which had it not been for Ahmed Khalil's profligacy in front of goal would have been far more emphatic.
As it was the UAE had to settle for four, although they can console themselves in the fact they are now five points clear in their group ahead of next month's home double header against Hong Kong and Vietnam.
While Mabkhout was at his clinical best, UAE's poster boy Omar Abdulrahman was once again the standout, producing a display packed of invention and imagination. Put simply, a move to Europe can't come soon enough.
The plaudits here, though, will belong to Makbhout and rightly so as the young striker enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a well-taken treble that means he now averages more than a goal a game for his country.
After a subdued opening half hour, the game burst into life when Mabkhout caught Hong Kong's backline napping, latching onto Abbas' clever through ball to rifle a left-foot volley home from close range.
The UAE should have put the tie to bed in the opening minutes of the second period but Khalil passed up three presentable opportunities. The worst of those saw him fire over from just six yards out with the goal at his mercy after Mabkhout had seen his initial effort saved.
But with Hong Kong struggling to get near never mind find a solution for the elusive Abdulrahman, it was only a matter of time before the UAE doubled their advantage.
And so it proved as Mabkhout bagged his second of the night, thumping home at the second attempt after he had unselfishly tried to tee up Khalil with a simple finish in the centre.
A glut of opportunities came and went with Khalil again the guilty party, before Mabkhout ensured the match ball would be heading back to the Emirates in his suitcase with a cool finish after Abdulrahman had played him in.
There was still time for Abbas to add further gloss to the scoreline with the last kick of the game as he galloped the length of the field to finish off a smart move that again had Abdulrahman at its heart.
The celebrations from the UAE players at full-time told their own story. Fifteen games unbeaten, within touching distance of another major tournament and a young side improving with every passing game. Asia beware.
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