Dubai: The coaches of Al Nasr and Al Shabab are in the happy situation of at least competing for an AFC Champions League spot for the next season.
The UAE’s Arabian Gulf League is assured of three spots in next year’s Asian continental competition and one for the play-offs, giving teams in the top half of the table something to fight for, even though Al Ahli have already wrapped up the title.
Having beaten second-placed Al Shabab 2-1 at home, Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic was pleased to have climbed to fifth and within four points of their opponents from Al Mamzar.
With three rounds remaining in the league, Al Ahli have 57 points, while Al Shabab are second with 42, followed by Sharjah and Al Wahda with 39 each and Al Nasr and Al Jazira follow with 38 apiece.
“We have teams who are above us in the standings, but we are in a good situation to challenge them. What we need to do is just try and win the remaining three games and then hope the teams above us slip up if we are to think about the AFC Champions League,” Jovanovic told Gulf News after Friday’s win.
A 25th minute goal from Al Shabab’s Edgar Bruno Da Silva woke the home team from their slumber and they equalised through Habib Al Fardan one minute before half-time. Ebrahima Toure then bagged the winner in the 78th minute.
“We knew only a win could help us and keep us among the top teams. I’m very happy that we managed to fight back from a goal down, but what made me even happier is the collective patience of the team,” Jovanovic said.
After crashing to their third straight defeat, Al Shabab coach Marcos Paqueta’s only consolation lay in the number of opportunities they managed to create. “But we did not score these chances and we paid the price in the end,” he said.
“Luckily, the advantage we have at the moment is that we have a good gap at the top thanks to all the good work we did earlier in the season. So even if we drop points I doubt we will lose our position.
“But we can’t afford to relax now. We have lost six points against teams who are facing relegation and that is not a good sign. But we have time to evaluate these things in the next few days. There is work to be done and much of it will be to get the players in a better frame of mind so that we can work on keeping our second position. An automatic AFC Champions League spot is definitely a goal for us.”
The Arabian Gulf League now takes a two-week break for the final two group stage matches of the AFC Champions League, with the 24th round of the league being played on April 27.
