Ismail Ahmed: Al Ain Players are Determined to Officially Announce their Qualification at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium
Ismail Ahmed, the “international” player and defender of UAE national team and Al Ain FC underscored the importance of announcing the “Boss” qualification for the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League next Monday by a significant result. The result to be achieved in the match scheduled to be held at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium against Iran’s Esteghlal Tehran should guarantee snatching the pass card to the next stage of the continental competition.
Ismail Ahmed stressed that the final result will be in the second leg at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium regardless of the result of the first leg which we lost by 0-1. He said, “I do believe that the “Boss” did their best at Azadi Stadium with the presence of more than 65,0000 supporters of home team.” He added, “We are well aware of what we are meant to do in the match of Monday. The most important issue in this coming match is not to receive any goal, to play with high focus and to be patient.”
He went on to say, “Al Ain is capable of winning the qualification card. Undeniably, we were too close to achieving a better result in Iran where Al Ain was in control of the actions on the pitch, but in football control sometimes alone is not enough to defeat the opponent.
He pointed out that, “We had exciting moments in Tehran and we were hoping to return back home with a positive result. However, losing the away match by only one goal in the knockout stage of the continental competition is not a worrying result, specifically as Al Ain dominated the match during the whole 90 minutes, and the opponent team relied on the counter attacks which we dealt with in the right manner. In spite of this fact, the Iranian team was able to score their single goal in the extra time via a penalty kick out.
He added, “We are so satisfied by our performance in Azadi Stadium. In fact, we have already skipped the page of the first leg match as we are undergoing the second leg match atmosphere to be held at home and among our fans. We believe that the result of our recent match was not that bad, but we are determined to achieve a significant result that ensures our qualification to the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.”
Al-Ain defender emphasized that the substantial attendance of the fans will absolutely leverage the team’s stamina at home. He said, “The “Ainawi Nation” is always there when it comes to support the team. As the fans at all times are press for doubling the efforts and doing our best on the pitch to achieve the great results, it is our turn now to ask them to be available and stand up firm next to us and support the team before the beginning of the match, during the warming up drills, during the match and till the final whistle. We are all keen to show them the best performance and officially announce the qualification of the “Boss” to the quarterfinals from Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
He added, “When we play Asian away matches, we experience a remarkable incessant interaction exerted by the fans on the stands with all the details related to the preparations for the match during the warming up and announcing the names of the players. Definitely, such an interaction boosts the players’ motivation before the beginning of the match. We are all have indefinite confidence in the “Ainawi Nation” ideal support and so proud to repeat the public slogan adopted by everyone: “The Promise at Hazza Stadium.”
Commenting on a question regarding the preparations for the second leg match, especially the squad’s strength will be augmented by the presence of the two international players, Mohannad Al Enazi and Nasser Al Shamrani, he said, “First of all, we have to thank our Croatian Head Coach, Zoran Mamic, who adopted a policy of granting confidence to young players based on his interest in the bright future of the team. Also, I have to commend the efforts of those young players and their high level of skills they recently exhibited during Al Ain FC matches, particularly against Iran’s Esteghlal Tehran. As for Nasser Shamrani and Mohannad Al Enazi, they both possess the competences and expertise required in such crucial confrontations. But then again, I have to say it that whoever wearing Al Ain’s logo is up to the confidence and responsibility vested in him and surely they will push themselves to the limit and be up to the high the expectations. I am looking forward to qualifying in the coming confrontation next Monday regardless of the starting lineup.”
