Looking beyond the final

Al Ain today’s AFC semifinals second-leg against Qatar’s El Jaish will be a decisive, challenging and win-lose game as viewed by H.E Mohamed Obeid ‘Hammad’, Board member of Al Ain FC Company and the General Supervisor of Al Ain First and Backup teams. “Our hosts are backed with home advantage and will use all possible forces to reach the AFC finals for the first time; besides, they have nothing to lose following their first-leg 1-3 loss; our players are aware of this fact,” he said.
Hammad said that Al Ain will put all its strength into the match in order to go beyond El Jaish and reach the final; “We trust our players’ ability to win and to properly manage the match; it’s very critical for the players to maintain attentiveness, discipline and compliance with the coach’s plan and instructions to achieve their ends,” he added.
He reiterated his belief that the current team possesses the right capabilities to make all Emiratis’ dream of reproducing the 2003 title come true; “But before we reflect on the final, we need first to win today’s match which requires 90-minute persistence and strife by the players,” he continued.
Hammad pointed out that the Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalić, had designed a successful training program to prepare his men for today’s match and to re-fit the ‘international’ players into the team and to address the adverse effects they suffered after their loss to Saudi Arabia with the National team in the game qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. “I believe our players have enough professional capabilities and experience to surpass this setback and concentrate their minds on winning today’s match,” he replied.
He regarded that it is not playing but rather winning the final match will be an achievement to celebrate; “Following our previously unlucky attempts, I think we deserve to win the title in this version; we’ve been through many challenging circumstances; we suffered a two-legged loss to Qatar’s El Jaish in the Group Stage; then we were faced with difficult moments in the Round of 8 and quarterfinal games; yet, our players managed to get so close to the final thanks to their determination and strong personalities. Most importantly, we need to come out with a positive result from today’s match,” he elaborated.
Hammad called upon all Emirati fans to stand firmly behind Al Ain who honors UAE football sports in the Asian tournament. “Hopefully, we’ll see as many fans as possible in Doha; their presence will motivate the players to achieve the desired outcome. We also excuse those who can’t attend because we believe they’re supporting the team with their souls and minds. We’re quite content that our team will face no problems because it boasts a good number of experienced players.” He concluded.