Hernán Crespo: I am very proud of Al-Ain players’ performance despite the defeat which will not affect “Al-Zaeem” morale at the final match of AFC Champions League
Hernán Crespo, the Argentine manager of Al-Ain, said that, in terms of football language, reality confirms that Al-Ain did not deserve to sustain defeat at today’s final match of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank cup, asserting: “We took one goal from only one chance by the rival team in front of our goal. We imposed our ultimate dominance all over the match duration and lost several chances, but all these statistics were not enough for us to be able to reach draw in score, then to tip the balance in favor of the team. We congratulate Al-Wahda for claiming the title and trophy of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank cup after their victory in today’s match.”
He went on: “We were not lucky enough on today’s evening, while sometimes, in football realm, you need to have some measure of luck, and this is an indication that points to the urgent need to work on improving our performance to be able to be more effective before the goal. Personally, I am proud of my team players, for they have done everything and this is football, while the most important thing is that players also need to proud of themselves.”
Commenting on a question over referees’ performance in today’s match, he said: “I always rely on a clear policy in my sports career, and my policy has always been founded on the deep respect for referees and I do not prefer to talk about refereeing performance.”
On whether today’s defeat might affect his team’s morale at the final match of AFC champions League, he said: “I think Al-Ain players deserve to claim a tournament trophy this season, while our defeat at the final match of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank cup will not affect their morale in their match vs the Japanese team at the final match of AFC Champions League.”
