Dubai: Al Shabab coach Caio Junior was brimming with joy and satisfaction after his second string side sent city rivals Al Wasl to a crashing 3-0 loss in their Arabian Gulf Cup opener on Friday.
Playing on home turf Caio Junior drafted in at least five young players, who received more than a satisfactory remark from their Brazilian coach.
Sporting the captain’s arm-band, Chilean Carlos Villanueva had to oversee a heartening performance from his junior team-mates including Rashid Hassan, Abdullah Faraj Marzooq, Mohammad Ali Ayad, comeback man Eisa Mohammad and youngster Ishaq Abdul Hamid Ishaq.
Al Shabab opened the scoring through the experienced Eisa Mohammad one minute from the half-time whistle.
The home side added a second through Rashid Hassan a minute after the hour and Edgar Bruno Da Silva came off the bench and scored the third in the 69th minute to ensure Al Shabab’s three points.
“Giving these players a chance to play was very important to open the door for all those who sit on the bench. Jorginho changed the system and it got difficult for us. Hence it was important to score first. Had Al Wasl scored first perhaps it would have been difficult to win the match,” Caio conceded.
However, his young bunch of recruits delivered and scored at the right time to see Al Shabab start their chase for a trophy this season. “Such a start especially from the second string of players has been perfect for me. It is very important for the club as we are looking at the future as well,” the Brazilian admitted.
However, Caio junior refused to be swayed by the performance of his young team. “That is not how we operate. It is far more important for me to have a solid and close group of players. I do not need just eleven, but we need 20 or 25 players who will have the same aim and focus and back each other both on and off the ground,” he said.
Starting line-up
The coach also backed fellow Brazilian professional Edgar Bruno Da Silva to deliver in the near future as well. “He is a thorough professional. I wanted to bring him on in the second half and I think he did perfectly well in setting up one and scoring another goal. I am sure I want him in the starting line-up for our next match against Bani Yas,” Caio promised.
“We need time. Most of the teams have been together for a long time, but Al Wasl is a new team that is evolving all the time,” their coach and former World Cupper Jorginho told media.
“These things [winning or losing] happen in football. I’ve had too much experience in this area, both as a player and now as coach. But we also know that it requires just one moment to turn things around. We had our best team on the pitch and we tried to win till the end, but everything wrong seemed to happen only to us,” he said.
The second round of action in the Arabian Gulf Cup will be held on November 5 and 6 followed by the third round on November 11 and 12. The 14 teams have been divided into two groups of seven with each playing the other on a home and away basis to decide the top two in each group moving onto the semi-finals next year.
