Mamic hails Al Ain’s inspiring performance

It is a great honour for me, goalkeeper Eisa says

It was a standout performance from Al Ain during their 3-0 rout of Iran’s Zob Ahan in the Group C fixture of AFC Champions League on Monday. And understandably, coach Zoran Mamic was a relieved and delighted man who felt it was just a matter of time for Al Ain to come good.

“Al Ain’s performance in the previous games was better but unfortunately we couldn’t reap the rewards,” said Mamic, who hailed his wards for rising to the occasion under pressure.

“We were able to make a difference thanks to the good performance from Eisa, Abdul Rahman and Ahmad, who showed good level despite not fully recovering from the injury,” added Mamic, whose team, assured of a place in the knockout stages, have a match in hand against eliminated Uzbek side Bunyodkor next.

Mamic also hailed his playmaker Omar Abdul Rahman’s ability to lead from the front in crunch situations. “Omar is one of the best players and we do not need to talk about it much. Al Ain Club and I personally feel lucky to have a player of his stature and potential. All the team needed is to play at the level of his intensity and I thank the club for keeping this player in the team,” said Mamic.

Skipper Abdul Rahman said he always had ‘great confidence’ in his team’s ability and to qualify, regardless of what happens in the last match, makes you feel great. Everyone contributed in today’s win especially goalkeeper Khalid Eisa, who put up a standout performance. Hopefully, we can continue in the similar way in the coming matches,” said Abdul Rahman.

Eisa delighted

Eisa, who walked away with the Player-of-the-Match award, expressed his delight. “It is a great honour for me, because I belong to one of the best clubs of the continent. To get the award in a team that has the likes of star player like Amoory (Abdul Rahman) makes it more special. This award is an important incentive and a greater motivation for me. It is great to qualify after missing out on glory in the local league,” he said.

Zob Ahan coach Mojtaba Hosseini was left to rue his team’s missed chances. “We played strongly in the first half, took control of the game, but then unfortunately couldn’t capitalise on the opportunities. And when you are playing against a professional team like Al Ain, then they will make you pay dearly and that’s what happened,” revealed Hosseini.

Meanwhile, following Al Wahda’s stunning 5-1 comeback win over Qatar’s Al Rayyan, coach Javier Aguirre said it was a good result for his team and that provides them with a ‘little chance to qualify’ for the knockout stage of the competition.

“We were a bit unlucky in the previous games, but this is the level we have always played in the ACL,” added Aquirre, whose team registered their first win in the tournament and will meet Iran’s Persepolis next.

Al Ain coach