Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic is expecting a difficult second leg when his team go head-to-head with local rivals Al Ahli once again next week in their battle for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2015 AFC Champions League.
The first meeting between the teams ended in stalemate at Al Rashid Stadium in Dubai but, with Al Ain playing at home in the second leg next week, the former champions hold the narrowest of advantages.
ACL RD16: Al Ahli (UAE) 0-0 Al Ain
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“The match was very hard for the two sides and the cautious approach affected the performance of the two teams,” said Dalic. “However, we created several scoring chances and we were too close to score on several occasions.”
Ibrahim Daiky, Asamoah Gyan and Jires Kembo-Ekoko all had chances to give Al Ain an advantage in the first leg but in difficult conditions neither side was able to find a breakthrough.
The game started well for Al Ahli but, as the first half wore on, Al Ain became a greater threat although the heat and humidity of the encroaching summer in the Middle East made conditions increasingly demanding.
With just seven days until the return leg in Al Ain, Dalic is concerned his team may not have enough time to recover with a match against Al Nasr in the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup also schedule for this coming Saturday.
“The result is good for us but we have to start preparing for the second leg,” he said. “The two teams were tired because the players are playing a match every three days and we are at the end of the season.
“We should improve our performance in the next match and try our best to score from the chances that we will create.
“The next match will be tough and we don't expect an easy task for us because we are playing against a strong team.”
Photo: WSG