Zlatko: Winning redeems our underperformance vs. Al Dhafra
Al Ain FC’s Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić, today’s 2-1 win over Al Dhafra served his squad a dual purpose; they were in need for a local deed to shake off their exit from the AFC Champions League finals and to acquire a fresh impetus prior to their ‘El Clasico’ versus Al Wasl.
After congratulating their hosts of Al Dhafra for their good performance which he thought should have earned them a draw if football was always fair, Zlatko unveiled in a post-match press conference his dissatisfaction with his men’s performance; “We conceived a surprising goal from a free kick, messed up many easy scoring opportunities and missed our brisk passes; we didn’t play our style. However, what matters is that we gained 3 points and we have now to get ready for our next game against Al Wasl,” he commented.
He denied that his men will be under a great pressure to play their three postponed matches in a short period of time because they are familiar with such pressures; “Personally, I prefer we play a match each four days because winning them will give us a push towards our final goal of winning the AGL title,” he justified.
He pointed out that luck exists in football but it swings between competing parties; “But in all cases, luck takes the side of the team that deserves winning. “We lost the AFC final because we wasted many scoring opportunities; notably, the penalty kick.” He concluded.
