Dubai: Al Ahli’s assistant coach Catalin Raducan can only think of Al Ahli’s next challenge against Al Sadd of Qatar after winning the Arabian Gulf Cup late on Saturday.
The Red Knights kept their UAE quadruple hopes alive when they fought back from a goal down to beat Al Jazira 2-1 at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ahli. Behind to a 28th minute penalty from Ali Mabkhout, Al Ahli levelled in the 69th minute through Grafite before sealing their third trophy of the season nine minutes from time thanks to an Esmail Al Hammadi strike.
However, there was little time to celebrate for Cosmin Olaroiu’s side as they left for Doha on Sunday for their final Group D match in the AFC Champions League, against Al Sadd on Tuesday. Victory would keep Al Ahli at the top of the table with ten points and even a draw against the Qatari side would keep them in the fray for a knockout spot.
Al Ahli are targeting a clean sweep of domestic trophies this season. After opening with the Super Cup in September, they sealed the Arabian Gulf League crown with three matches to spare, before helping themselves to League Cup on Saturday. The final piece of silverware up for grabs is the President’s Cup, in which they will contest the final against Al Ain next month.
“It’s like we play a final every 48 hours,” Raducan said. “Where is the time for preparation for the next match?
“Our focus is to ensure our players recover physically and mentally for the next match. Maybe we will make one or two changes in the side, and if we win it would be very good. And even if we draw then it would also be very good.”
However, the Romanian had no doubt about the capabilities of the Al Ahli team. “We are very happy with this trophy. We deserved this for all the hard work we’ve put in through the season. But, in football, one doesn’t have time to celebrate as our next match against Al Sadd is like a final as well. We need to forget about the cup final now and think of the next game,” Raducan said.
“This team has shown that it is a side of champions. They’ve fought their way back after being down and won against Sharjah, against Al Wasl and now against Al Jazira. They have shown how big they are and what character they have. Real champions never give up and tonight our players proved this once again.
“With the league and cup out of the way, we will now put all our energy into making the next stage of the Champions League.”
