Zoran: There Is No Time to Talk About Mistakes and We Are Capable of Announcing Our Qualification from Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium
Zoran Mamic, the Head Coach of Al Ain FC, emphasized the fact that his team’s first leg match against the Iranian team, Esteghlal Tehran, held as part of the 16th Round of the AFC Champions League and ended with a penalty loss was not quite good due to the extreme aggression and harshness.
During the post-match press conference, he stated, “We are done with phase one and there is another phase in Al Ain. We do have full confidence that the team will receive pronounced support by all Ainawi Nation so that the team could achieve a superb victory that would guarantee the team’s qualification at the expense of the Iranian team at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.”
Commenting on the red card case and the penalty kick, he said, “I did not see the reply, but it was clear from the ground that Sa’eed Juma’ah did not deliberately causing any harm to the player of the opposing team and did not intentionally clear the ball by his hand. I do not think the case deserved to send the player off. As for the penalty kick, it is up to the referee’s judgment that he handled the ball intentionally by his hand. At any rate, we do not have time to talk about referees’ issues and cases as much as we have to think about the sound preparation for the second leg match. I have great confidence in my players to achieve the desired result at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, as I stated earlier.”
He went on to say, “All players are committed to do their best and exhibit a robust performance that will enable the team to qualify relying on their spirit of accepting the challenge, willingness, fighting and the high potential of Al Ain players. By all of these qualities, we will be able to qualify for the quarterfinal stage.”
Mansourian: Al Ain’s Reaction will be Strong at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium
Ali Reza Mansourian, Head Coach of Iran’s Esteghlal Tehran FC, expressed his delight for the important victory achieved by his team at the expense of one of the most prominent clubs in Asia. He said, “We were able to pay tribute to the masses supported the players intensely before, during and until the end of the confrontation and contributed impressively to achieve this victory.”
During the post-match press conference, Mansourian praised the strong performance of all Esteghlal’s players on the pitch and their commitment to implementing the technical instructions during the confrontation. He stressed the fact that, “Our mission is not over by winning Al Ain and we are all well aware that Al Ain’s reaction at home will not be a normal one. We have to concentrate and redouble our efforts so that we can maintain the great result we achieved.”
Kaveh Rezaei, winner of the AFC Title of the Man of the Match against Al Ain, said, “I would like to thank all the fans of Esteghlal Tehran for their incredible support that contributed to win the match against Al Ain. We promise them to maintain the lead against the UAE team at home and amongst their fans.”
