ABU DHABI // Jose Peseiro played down Al Wahda’s challenge for the Arabian Gulf League title after their 5-0 victory over Kalba on Tuesday night at the Al Nahyan stadium.
“Our focus is only on the next game against Emirates,” the Wahda coach said. “To win 5-0 against any team in the top flight is a good result but that doesn’t guarantee any trophies. The margin of victory doesn’t give us more than the three points.
“However, we can take a lot of positives from this game. Such results are good for the confidence of my players. We controlled most of the game. We created a good balance and the players did a good job.”
Peseiro, who replaced the Czech Karel Jarolim in November, has an unchanged squad from the side who rallied impressively last season to finish second to Al Ahli, and he said keeping the same personnel had been the plan.
“Football needs stability,” he said when asked why Wahda were inactive in the transfer market in the summer.
“We can only develop a team over a period of time by working. I want to improve the players rather than bringing in players from outside. Of course, we can bring players when there is a requirement.”
Sebastian Tagliabue and Damian Diaz, the Argentine forwards, gave last year’s runners up a two-goal lead at half time before Mohammed Al Shehhi, Amer Omar and Adil Hermach added their names in the scoresheet in the second half.
Harmach drew the Kalba goalkeeper Osman Barout to the left side of the box and sent a lofted pass for Diaz to volley home the opener.
The scorer then turned the creator as Diaz’s pass was rifled home fiercely from the edge of the area by Tagliabue.
Diaz was in the spotlight again when he sent a through pass for Al Shehhi to add a third. Omar and Hermach joined the party, both scoring off poor clearances to complete the rout.
Vinicius Eutropio, the Kalba coach, said the two goals late in the first half took the game away from the newly promoted side. “We played well until then,” he said.
“Wahda thereafter took advantage of the situation.
“Our players need time. We couldn’t get the 11 players to play together as a team. With the promotion it is not unusual to change the first team players to meet the high level in the top flight.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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