Al Ain Did Not Deserve to Lose to Al Nasr Pedro: So Proud of the Fans Committed Themselves to Stay and Cheer Up the Players
“We have played a very tough match tonight against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr. We started the match well and tried to surprise the opponent,” Pedro Emmanuel stated in the post-match press conference held following the end of his team’s round 2 match of the AFC Champions League against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr.
He added: “I agreed with the players to perform honorably, and we did it when we took the lead and scored our first goal before the match referee disallowed our second goal. We had critical chances to score against the opponent, but we failed to turn them into goals. We did not give the key players of the opponent any chance to control the ball by closing all the available spaces. Indeed, I knew well at that time that taking the lead by one goal is not enough to win the match as Al Nasr players would do their best to level the result. By the end of the day, we conceded two goals, and football has nothing to do with the fair or unfair result as we lost the match to Al Nasr.”
In response to a question on whether the denied penalty kick for Al Ain in the second half has a negative impact on the result of the match, he said: “From my point of view, the violation was clear, and we deserved to be awarded a penalty kick. When we conceded the second goal, we tried our best to be back to the match and level the result by creating chances and scoring against the opponent through controlling the ball.”
As for the messages he addressed to the players during his brief meeting with them in the midfield by the end of the match, he said: “I asked them whether they are happy by the team’s performance? Al Ain did everything but lost the result, considering that we play at home and among our fans. We all felt disappointed, but we were keen to greet the fans who insist on staying in the stands after the match to cheer up the players.”
Pedro commended the fans’ attitude “We are o proud of them. In bad times, we are always waiting for their support. We deserved a better result!”
As for his team’s chances to qualify following losing two home matches in a row, Al Ain’s head coach said that mathematically everything is possible. “The top team has 4 points, and we are the last with zero points. I have already called this group “the death group”. Indeed, you could win home and away matches. we would see what we could do, and we believe that we could win the upcoming home and away matches.”
He commented on a question on Bandar’s current conditions and if he is injured or not by saying that was a good question. “Currently, we have to analyze each player’s performance and the nature of matches we are scheduled to play, and this is simply the answer to the question. During this February, we have seven matches to play in all different competitions. Tonight, we played a tough match against one of the teams expected to win the title. This Saturday, we are scheduled to play a clash match in the President’s Cup, and Bandra is one of the players who played more minutes than his teammates.”
Pedro went on to say that as he is the head coach of the team, he has to make the right decision and select the right players for each match. “In tonight’s match, all the players adhered to the technical instructions, and I told them that they are here to play genuine football, and every one of them would have the chance to play, and they have to play hard in return.”
“The best players will always play, and Bandra needs to take a break for a while. Also, there is Shiotani and Salem Abdulla, who played more minutes more than their teammates.”
Pedro concluded the media conference by stating: “We are Al Ain! We always aim to compete to win titles, and in my capacity as a head coach, I have to make the right decision, as I stated earlier.”
