DUBAI // The Al Shabab coach Toninho Cerezo said the Super Cup loss will not dampen the spirits of the defending league champions. The former Brazil international, guided Shabab to their first league title since 1995 last season and will host Al Shaab in their opening game of this campaign on Friday. "We are a champion side and we will never be down," he said. "We have the heart of champions. We can lose, but we will never be down. This team has a lot of character and maturity.
"They know what is football. They know they will not get anything easy. So we will bounce back." For one man in the Al Shabab ranks, though, it will take longer than the rest to bounce back: Carlos Renato, who missed a penalty deep in extra-time that would have taken the game into a shootout. Cerezo wanted his experienced captain Marcos Assuncao to try his luck from 12 yards, but Renato convinced his captain to let him take the kick insted.
"I called Assuncao and asked him to take the penalty," said Cerezo. "It was the last second of the game and the last ball, and I wanted the most experienced player taking the kick. But when Assuncao reached the spot, he saw Renato was very confident so he let him take the penalty." Renato smashed the ball wide off the left post, ending Shabab's hopes of starting the season with some silverware. "These things happen. If he had scored, everybody would be praising him," said Cerezo.
The Brazilian was also happy with the performance of his side, who looked sharper in defence and attack than their rivals. "For the first game of the season, I think we played well and it shows we are moving in the right direction," he added. "But we can certainly improve on our ball possession. "In this game, maybe we were in a bit of hurry to throw the ball into attack. But we will fix it." arizvi@thenational.ae
