(The UAE assistant coach, will be speaking to The National during the tournament. This is his third diary entry.)
The opening match against Honduras proved to be a very tough start. Without making excuses, I think there were several factors that we were just not expecting and which played against us.
Sultan Al Shamsi’s sending off with less than half an hour of the first half gone meant we had to play about an hour with 10 players – it’s a very long time for these boys.
Don’t forget that this happened when we were already one goal down. The injury to Mohammed Khalid did not help, obviously, and disrupted our defence. Despite all that, I thought the players stood up to the challenge.
As everyone could see, they fought very hard and did not let anyone down. We recovered extremely well and equalised, despite those setbacks.
At the end, tiredness after being a man down for so long showed, and perhaps there was a little bit of lack of experience, too. We lost concentration with five minutes to go, and conceded the goal that decided the match.
Still, we are more than happy with the effort they put in.
Despite the loss, the spirits in the camp remain high. Nothing is impossible in football, and although we are playing Brazil, one of the favourites to win the cup, the players will go into the match with confidence.
They will fight to the end and they are eager to enhance the UAE’s reputation on the pitch.
Since Thursday, we have prepared well and have been working with players on lifting their morale. Mentally, they are ready. They know what this match means to the country.
sports@thenational.ae
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