With just 90 minutes away from the final
In his pre-match press conference, Al Ain’s Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalić, saw that the Emiratis’ long-awaited Asian title is within reach in just 90 minutes during which they had to keep their determination and fighting spirit alive.
“We’ll take on our hosts on the assumption that the first-leg ended in a scoreless draw; we have to maintain a high degree of attentiveness and precaution from the kickoff until the final whistle,” he said.
He reiterated that Al Ain’s aspirations to win the title must be observed given its history of reaching advanced stages at the AFC competition over the past 3 years with only 2 losses to Qatar’s El Jaish during the Group Stage in the current edition.
Zlatko pointed out that winning the AFC title with the current generation of excellent players in repetition of the 2003 scenario was his own personal dream as well as that of all Emiratis; “Let’s postpone talking about the final till we guarantee the qualification after today’s match; right now, we’re set to take a serious challenge,” he added.
He regretted that his 7 ‘international’ players who were playing with the UAE National team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia did not have but 5 days to train with their teammates prior to today’s match; “However, as usual, we won’t seek excuses in advance; we possess sufficient experience to overcome all bad circumstances. We achieved good results against Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Zob Ahan of Iran and the Uzbek Lokomotiv. Right now, we have to fare well during the coming 90 minutes in order to reach the final,” he elaborated.
He reminded that some of his ‘international’ players, such as Amer Abdurrahman and Mohamed Fayez, have not played official games from 20 days; “It was not easy for us to re-organize our situation in just 5 days; despite all, we’ll fight to achieve the required result against El Jaish,” he continued.
Commending his men, Zlatko renewed his confidence in his men’s increasing capabilities, maturity and experience the gained after reaching advanced stages in the AFC competition over the past 3 years; “We’re quite close to standing on the podium, but we still have to put massive efforts to return the auspicious patronage and generous support by the Club Leaders and to put a smile on the face of all Emiratis,” he commented.
Addressing Al Ain fans, he reminded of his tweets that everyone must be happy with the fact that no Asian team has achieved the progressive results as Al Ain has over the past 3 years. He added that his men are currently representing UAE and the Emirati football rather than Al Ain club; so they need to be supported by everyone; “We’ll be praiseworthy representatives of UAE,” he promised.
He assured that no player will miss today’s match except Mohamed Fayez whose injury will keep him off the pitch for 5 months.
Asked what worries him most in today’s match especially after El Jaish’s coach said that his men would impose a tight control over ‘Amouri’, Zlatko replied: “Certainly, I fear no football team in the world because my squad boasts top players. Omar Abdurrahman is a big name, but we have other players who can make a difference; we are renowned for our collective style.”
“We intend to win over El Jaish and we’ll fight in order to hoist the UAE flag in this championship,” he continued.
Reminded of their loss of the semifinals to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia 2 years ago, Zlatko said that they had gained experience and derived lessons from that loss; “Today, we have a perfect opportunity to shake it off and reach the AFC final.” He concluded.
