Al Ain is one of the most prestigious clubs in Asia.. Alfred Schreuder: we planned to press and score early against Pakhtakor
We achieved a deserved win and had 7 clear chances
Our players’ performance was disciplined and they were committed to our tactical instructions
The Dutch coach, Alfred Schreuder expressed his happiness with the marvelous start that enabled us to win and return with three points in the beginning of the Asian rally against a strong opponent like Pakhtakor, Uzbekistan. However, in my opinion, we did not deliver our best performance despite playing well for a considerable part of the match. We had more than seven definite chances, but we managed to score just three.
“Our players demonstrated discipline in carrying out our tactical instructions, and we demonstrated our attacking strength through our integrated system as a team and providing support to Laba upfront. I had a confidence in his ability to convert his teammates’ efforts properly, and we were able to kill the game from the beginning. This confirms that Al Ain is one of the most prestigious clubs in Asia, and we are required to continue in our victorious path”, he continued.
Schreuder added, “We will put the AFC Champions League file aside and end our celebrations of the win and taking the three points from Uzbekistan, to focus on our upcoming match against Ajman, which we will play at home amidst our fans”.
Commenting on a question about whether he believes the result of the match against Pakhtakor was fair, he said: “I believe we achieved a deserved win and I reminded the players in the dressing room that we could score more goals but Pakhtakor also had several chances to score against us, particularly in the second half. On the other hand, we also missed multiple easy goals, so I believe the result is fair.”
Replying to a question about the expectations of the Uzbek media of a draw between the two teams, but Al Ain surprised Pakhtakor with the early goal, he said: “Yes, definitely, we always aim to score early through setting the appropriate tactics for each match independently. In Pakhtakor match, we planned to score an early goal by pressing the opponent which was playing at home among their fans. So, we wanted to take the lead and kill the game from the beginning. Al Ain is a great team and doesn’t fear any opponent and our pressure resulted in the desired outcome.”
