Leko Hails the Performance of the Boss’ Players Against the “King”
“We’ve played the best match at home and among our grassroots. We created many chances and sent direct shots to the opponent’s goal. Indeed, we were the better team since the kickoff whistle until the last minute of the match,” Croatia’s Ivan Leko, head coach of Al Ain First Football Team, stated in the post-match press conference held after the end of his team’s quarterfinal match of the Arabian Gulf League against Al Sharjah.
He stressed: “We secured a deserved victory over the opponent by 2-1 result. The squad did well, including the “international” stars who trained twice with their teammates. Khalid Eisa and Ahmad Barman showed a genuine desire to play this match despite being exhausted, and they deserved to be commended for their quality performance they show tonight.”
Commenting on a question on wasting many chances by his players for being impulsive to score in this match, he said: “I do believe that creating chances in any match is a commendation for the team’s efforts. As for turning the chances into goals, this is associated with two aspects. The first is when the striker is on his day, and this means that every shot he sends is a goal, and the second when he is not on his day. Personally, I am fully satisfied with the squad’s performance, as I stated earlier.”
As for the defenders’ frequent mistakes in each match, he said: “I believe that when the defender is on his moment, exactly like the striker, he will not commit any mistakes, considering that a defender’s mistake gives the opponent the chance to score a goal.”
He signed off: “Personally, I am happy with the performance of Ismael Ahmad as an authentic leader of the team. He enjoyed a great and strong personality and did not commit mistakes in the past five matches.”
