Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo said his side did not deserve to lose the ADIB Cup final to Al Wahda, but backed his team to rebound in their bid to become Asian champions later this month.
The Garden City club were defeated 1-0 at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium on Friday night, with Lucas Pimenta’s 15-minute header proving decisive.
Al Ain, two-time League Cup winners but runners-up also last season, dominated the second half in Abu Dhabi, yet could not find a way past Wahda. Late on, striker Kodjo Laba struck a post with a header.
In winning, it was in fact Wahda who lifted the trophy for a third time, with captain and long-term servant Ismail Matar, 41, finishing his final season with his boyhood club with another title.
Speaking after the match, Crespo said: “First of all, congratulations to Al Wahda for becoming champions. In terms of football, we didn’t deserve to lose this game. We conceded this goal and I think one other chance in the second half.
“After that everything was about us. To try to shoot, to be dangerous … we hit the post. When this kind of situation happens, we need to accept. We managed the game, we were positive. For me, we made a good performance, but it’s not enough.”
In his first season in UAE football, Crespo said Al Ain were simply not clinical enough – Soufiane Rahimi, Kaku and Mathias Palacios all had efforts at goal – but that he was still full of pride in his players.
“Of course. [We were on top] not only in the second half – you can add the last 10 minutes of the first half,” he said. “This is football. It’s difficult to explain.
“We don’t have regrets. And that’s important. It’s important if you lose the final to try to put your head down and sleep without regrets. And these guys, for these players, must go home without any regrets, because they leave everything [on the pitch], they tried everywhere to score goals and to win the final.
“But football is not about deserves; it’s about goals. And we didn’t and they did.”
Al Ain have no real time to lick wounds. Third in the Adnoc Pro League as the season enters its final month, they face Khorfakkan on Monday needing a victory to pull within four points of second-placed Shabab Al Ahli with six matches remaining.
After that, Al Ain travel to Japan to take on Yokohama F Marinos in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final on May 11. Still the only UAE side to clinch the continental’s showpiece club crown, the 2003 champions host Marinos in the return fixture at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium two weeks later.
On how he expected Friday’s final defeat would impact his team, Crespo said: “You always prefer to prepare for these kinds of matches with victories, but nothing changed in terms of the Champions League.
“Yes, changed because we don’t want to lose a final, but it’s football. Now we need to be focused on the next match against Khorfakkan, then try to recover our energy to go to Japan and try to do our best like always.
“It’s a very big anticipation because these guys deserve to lift a trophy. They work very hard. You never know, this time miss out on this trophy, maybe Inshallah something big is coming.”
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
