Dubai: Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic is convinced that a second trophy in just six months is a strong indicator that his club is on the right path of success.
Al Nasr quelled Sharjah 4-1 to win the 2015 Arabian Gulf Cup before a packed house at Al Ahli’s Rashid Stadium on Friday. Al Nasr opened the score in the third minute through their Senegal striker Ebrahima Toure and new signing Pablo Hernandez added a second in the eighth minute to make it 2-0.
In the tenth minute Toure added his second only to see Sharjah pull one back in the 14th minute through Rodriguinho Marinho Costa. Al Nasr added a fourth on the hour from the penalty spot with Mahmoud Khamis coolly slotting past Rashid Ahmad to complete the domination.
The Arabian Gulf Cup became Al Nasr’s second trophy under Ivanovic following their triumph in the Gulf Clubs Championships at the end of last season. Domestically, this was Al Nasr’s first success in 13 years following their President’s Cup win in 2002.
“This is a historic day for our club. We have waited for this moment for so long and now it is time for us to be happy and enjoy the fruit of all the hard work we have put in to reach here. Since I took over [in 2013] I have worked hard in bringing in a new mentality of winning. We needed this trophy desperately to convince ourselves how good we really are,” Ivanovic told media at the post-match conference.
“And while we celebrate this day and feel happy with what we have achieved in under two seasons, we have to pay attention to the rest of the competitions like the defence of our Gulf title, the Arabian Gulf League and the President’s Cup,” he cautioned.
“What we have achieved is amazing, and now we need to continue being consistent with our form and performances for the rest of the competitions. For the moment we have this feeling of being a winner and I think this will push us through to achieve even better results during the rest of the season,” he added.
Sharjah coach Paulo Bonamigo had no excuses while accepting responsibility for the final result. “The start and end of a final are really important in any match, and we did not start well and that is why we suffered,” Bonamigo admitted.
“We went in expecting a much better result, but that is not what happened. Last year we reached the semi-finals and this year it was the final. Hopefully, we can go one step ahead next season. One game like this would have been really importance for the confidence of our players as this was a lovely chance to learn. I am sure this team will be better in the future,” he added.
