| The National

AL NASR 5 FUJAIRAH 1

Al Nasr - Al Ameri 5', Holman 19', Toure 21', 70', 87' (pen)

Fujairah - Syif 25'

Man of the match - Ibrahima Toure (Al Nasr)

DUBAI // The Fujairah coach Abdulwahab Abdulqadir has questioned the Arabian Gulf League schedule following his team's 5-1 drubbing at Al Nasr on Friday night.

As per Fifa rules, the gap between two matches should be at least 72 hours, but Fujairah captain Madjid Bougherra led his team out at the Maktoum Stadium after arriving at 4am on Thursday following his appearance for Algeria in a 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Malawi on Wednesday night.

“The Fifa rules clearly state there has to be a gap of 72 hours between matches, so we should have played on October 18 but were made to play tonight for some reason,” Abdulqadir said. “We even wrote a letter to the Pro League Committee, but there was no reply.”

Bougherra looked out of sorts on the pitch and had a role to play in three of Nasr’s five goals.

However, Abdulqadir refused to blame the scheduling for Fujairah’s disappointing loss.

“Bougherra arrived this morning and Hassan Maatouk also came back after playing for Lebanon on Tuesday,” he said. “So we did have a few tired legs in the team, but I am not going to offer this as an excuse.

“We did make some mistakes. We did not keep enough possession and gave away too many balls in the midfield.

“You cannot afford to play like that against a strong team like Nasr. They exploited our mistakes, used the wings very well and we all know the quality Ibrahima Toure possesses.

“If you concede three goals inside 20 minutes, it is difficult to come back and we missed a few chances as well. Of course, the absence of Boubacar Sanogo did not make it any easier for us.”

Taking the lead in the fourth minute through Ali Al Ameri’s header, Nasr were up 3-0 by the 21st minute after Brett Holman scored from a stunning finish and then Toure scored the first of his three on the night.

Fujairah refused to close down, though, and Ivan Jovanovic, the Nasr coach, saluted the visitors for their part in an action-packed encounter.

“Maybe when you score early in a game, it opens up the game for both teams,” Jovanovic said.

“But I don’t think it would have been any different even if we had not scored early.

“If you see, Fujairah is a team who are positive and always trying to score. They have a lot of pace. So against them, it is always going to be an open game.

“I am really happy with what I have seen of Fujairah until now. They are a good, positive team and I hope the fans enjoyed this show put up by both teams tonight.”

arizvi@thenational.ae

The Fujairah coach Abdulwahab Abdulqadir has questioned the Arabian Gulf League schedule following his team’s 5-1 drubbing at Al Nasr last night.