Cosmin Olaroiu’s frustrations were evident. The Al Ahli coach left without attending the official post-match news conference after his team were held to a scoreless draw by a second-string Baniyas in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
That result on Monday was a bitter disappointment, because had Ahli won, they would have booked their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
It may have been more frustrating for Olaroiu as it came just two days after Ahli suffered their first defeat of the season, thrashed 3-0 away by the champions Al Ain in the Arabian Gulf League.
After that loss, the Ahli coach said his side were being punished for reaching last month’s Asian Champions League final, as his players now have to face a cramped domestic schedule.
Ahli play third-place Al Nasr on Friday, their third match in six days, and Olaroiu has a valid reason to be concerned on the physical and mental state of his players.
Yet he has to carry on with his preparation because another poor result can put them under real pressure as they bid to keep pace with the leaders Al Ain.
Tagliabue like clockwork
There are very few players in the AGL, particularly the strikers, who have delivered more consistently to the success of their teams.
Sebastian Tagliabue is one of them.
Al Wahda’s Argentine striker is again heading the club’s scoring charts with a dozen league goals from nine games.
He topped the AGL goalscoring table in his debut season, 2013/14, with 28 goals in 25 matches and was on target 15 times from 22 games the next.
The secret behind Tagliabue’s success may be due to his humbleness, putting personal glory aside for the team’s success.
“My job on the pitch is to score for my team and that can’t be achieved without a collective effort,” he said.
“I want to score for the team I play but all that would count for nothing if the team can’t win. Whatever personal glories I achieve will be secondary because for me, the team’s success is paramount.
“If the team win, we are all winners.”
Out-of-this-world Sharjah
Sharjah seem to be on a different planet under their caretaker coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari.
They racked up four points from a possible six from their past two games, lifting them from the drop zone as they now sit two points above Al Dhafra and six clear of the basement team Al Shaab.
Before that Sharjah were lagging second bottom on four points from eight games under the Brazilian Paulo Bonamigo.
Sharjah will now be looking to take their newfound confidence forward when they meet Baniyas at home tomorrow as they seek to put more daylight between them and the bottom two.
Baniyas have had a mixed bag in the league so far with three wins, three defeats and four draws, but their ambitions seem to be downgraded from a top-four finish by their coach Luis Garcia “to a position as high as possible” in the AGL table.
apassela@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @NatSportUAE
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
Company%20profile
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Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
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Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)