Aguirre goes out on a high
abu dhabi — Al Wahda ended a 17-year wait for the President’s Cup. And their fans were happy to see the young players contribute to the victory in a big way.
The turning point of the match was infusion of Khalil Ibrahim in the mix. The 24-year-old dribbled through defenders with ease and had a hand in goals.
“The first half was very tight. In the second half, Khalil Ibrahim was the key. He was very quick and opened up the field with Tareq Ahmed,” said Javier Aguirre after guiding the team to victory in his last match as Al Wahda coach.
A touching incident happened in the middle of the Press conference as few players mobbed the coach chanting his name and poured water on him to celebrate.
The Mexican certainly left in style. Meanwhile, superstar Balazs Dzsudzsak is encouraged by the all-round show.
“I am very satisfied. This game was the cherry on the cake. The club has waited 17 years. We all are going crazy at the club. I am proud of everyone. It’s just perfect.”
Pointing out the youngsters’ role in the team, he said: “I hope we continue the same way. We have lot of good young players. Also, there are experienced ones too. We missed many points against smaller teams. Hopefully, next season we will play with more concentration and focus.”
Striker Sebastian Tagliabue said Khalil Ibrahim is an emerging talent.
“In last 10 matches, he has shown everyone that he is ready to play. I hope he continue his form. Whenever he is introduced in a match, he always comes up with something.”
Elaborating on the youth academy, he said: “We have some nine young players from academy. In the team, some 80 per cent are from the academy even if they are old. The U21 team lifted the League championship. This shows the academy is working very well,” he added. Tagliabue then paid tribute to Aguirre.
“We played amazing AFC Champions league and were in with a chance till the last game. He did two nice years. He worked a lot for the club. I don’t know the history but I don’t think any coach has taken two championships in two years. He has supported me a lot and team.”