Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda coach Jose Peseiro bemoaned his side’s lack of good fortune after the Arabian Gulf League leaders were held to a 2-2 draw by a spirited Al Wasl at the Al Nahyan Stadium late on Saturday.
Sebastian Tagliabue and Amer Omar scored for the hosts after they had twice fallen behind to Ederson and Caio as Al Wasl impressed on new coach Gabriel Calderon’s debut.
But the Al Wahda boss said the Dubai club were lucky to escape with a point.
“We actually deserved to win but Al Wasl were so lucky. We had so many chances. Our style is to dominate the game and that we did,” said Portuguese Peseiro.
“But we have to forget this draw and concentrate on the matches ahead. I’m happy with the players’ performances as they did everything as per our plans. It was our match and we should have won.”
The biggest plus for Peseiro and the UAE would have been the return of veteran striker Esmail Matar, who took the field in the 72nd minute. Matar, coming off an injury lay-off, looked fit and national team coach Mahdi Ali must now be considering taking him to next month’s Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Al Wasl’s assistant coach Pedro Gomez said the result was a big boost for the struggling side.
“We are very happy with the result. We could see the spirit in the players. We can see a good team together and everybody running with good spirit. We were also lucky, but we managed to score two goals,” he said.
“We need to improve but this match showed we are heading in the right direction.
“The first change you see is the change in spirit. Tactical changes and other improvements are another aspect. It is a new team fighting to impress.
“The next step is to keep improving. We need time for that. To get a result like this against a team that is leading the standings is a good sign.”
Saturday also saw an absorbing contest between champions Al Ahli and fellow heavyweights Al Jazira, with the former taking a 4-2 victory.
Grafite scored a brace and Esmail Al Hammadi and Carlos Munoz were also on target for the winners, while the Abu Dhabi side responded through an own goal by Bashir Saeed and an Ali Mabkhout penalty.
Al Jazira coach Eric Gerets said: “You can be sure the best team won. Every time they were in our half, they were dangerous. Too many stupid goals, big mistakes and then you don’t score goals. What more can I say?”
Al Jazira have already conceded 14 goals in six matches, with only bottom side Kalba having a worse defensive record.
“It is not something new that we received too many goals and disappointment is a small word after this game. I had a look in the dressing room and there is more disappointment and frustration there than the outside. We need one or two days to talk about all that went wrong. If we can take our lessons this time, maybe we will not commit these stupid mistakes that lead to goals every time,” Gerets added.
Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu, on the other hand, was immediately thinking about his team’s next outing against Al Dhafra.
“A victory always brings another victory and I keep saying that. But, for me, the Al Dhafra game is more difficult,” the Romanian said.
“I’m not comparing the teams, but when you are playing against a top team like Al Jazira, mentally you are ready. When you are playing teams like Al Dhafra, you could start thinking it will be an easy game and that is the danger we need to guard against.”
