We wanted to celebrate victory with our fans, says Al Ain coach

Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

Al Ain coach Pedro Emanuel was delighted after a 1-0 victory against Al Wahda in their Arabian Gulf League (AGL) match on Friday.

Rayan Yaslam was on target as Al Ain eked out a narrow victory against Al Wahda at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to extend their winning momentum.

“It was not an easy task against a team like Al Wahda. Being a derby, it added an extra pressure and the weightage to the game,” said Emanuel.

“I am happy as we were able to win the third game on a trot. The three points were more important than the performance tonight. It was good contest but we were lucky to get away with a victory,” he added.

After the third consecutive victory, Al Ain moved to the fourth spot in the standings with 14 points. They have won four, drawn two and lost one match. In the previous two round matches, Al Ain defeated Al wasl 2-1 and Al Dhafra 4-1.

He continued: “It was not easy for us to change the plan and formation every week. But we needed to work according to the available data. We had to put in double the hard work to achieve our desired goals.

“When I started preparing to face Al Wahda, it was not practically difficult to choose the squad for the match after seeing the performances of some players. I wanted to improve the spirit of competition among the players,” informed the Portuguese.

“Certainly, I hope to see the injured players back in action in the upcoming matches. I congratulate the players for their strong performance and we were in dire need of victory and we missed the fans in today's match and we wanted them to be there to celebrate with us," he concluded.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the matches are being held without fans all over the world. Though last week, Dubai allowed fans with the 30 per cent capacity with strict safety protocols.