AL AIN // Borimir Perkovic, Al Ain’s assistant manager, insisted his team “deserved to be champions,” despite their 3-2 aggregate loss to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the Asian Champions League final.
Perkovic was a reluctant frontman for the post-final media debrief. He was forced into the role by the fact Zlatko Dalic, the manager, was unable to take questions, having been sent to the stands during the fraught end to the first 45 minutes.
The home side had battled well to that point, but a penalty miss, the loss of Dalic to the stands, and a canny rearguard from the South Korean side led to a 1-1 draw on the night, and overall defeat.
“We played a fantastic game,” Perkovic said. “We had four or five excellent chances, missed the penalty, and we were satisfied with the first half.
“In the second half, maybe we didn’t play at the same level as the first 45 minutes, but we gave our all. Bravo for everybody — the players who played today and the fans.
“But this is football. I’m sure Al Ain deserved to be champions. We are sad but this is football.”
More from Asian Champions League final:
• Analysis: Big match nerves prove telling: Al Ain's wait for second Asian Champions League title goes on
• Match report: Al Ain 1-1 Jeonbuk (2-3 agg): Asian Champions League final heartbreak for UAE club
Perkovic said the absence of the Croatian manager did have a telling effect on the home side, even though he was still able to get his messages through from the front row of the main stand.
“It was not the same without Zlatko in the second half being on the bench,” Perkovic said. “It would have been different, although we had good communication.
“We tried, we gave our all, but we didn’t have luck. We lost the game in the first half because we had, I think, five excellent chances. We lost the game in the first 45 minutes.”
Choi Kang-hee, the Jeonbuk manager, said beating Al Ain went some way to erasing the pain of defeat in the final to Qatari side Al Sadd five years ago.
“When we lost in 2011, I saw the fans were so dispirited, so winning the Champions League is an unforgettable dream,” Choi said. “I want to thank the fans. This is for them.
“Even though the game was very tough, we needed to overcome Al Ain. In every position, all the players worked together to become one team.”
The home supporters were angered in the second half by some of what they deemed the cynical methods Jeonbuk’s players employed to close out the win. Choi acknowledged they had used tactical fouls.
“We knew we must not give away fouls in dangerous situations but Al Ain are a team that is very strong on the counter-attack,” Choi said. “We had to stop them in a few situations and so fouls happened.”
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