Abu Dhabi: New Al Wahda coach Sami Al Jaber insisted he was proud of his team despite their epic Asian Champions League play-off defeat by Qatar’s Al Sadd at the Al Nahyan Stadium here late on Tuesday.

The nine-man hosts went down fighting 5-4 on penalties after the sides were locked 3-3 after 90 minutes and 4-4 after extra time.

However, what came to fore once again was Al Wahda’s inability to hold on to a lead in the dying minutes — something that cost previous coach Jose Peseiro his job.

The Abu Dhabi side, with Hermach Adil and Damian Diaz sent off along with Al Sadd’s Mohammad Kasola, were minutes away from sealing what could have been a sensational comeback victory. But the visitors scored through star striker Khalfan Ibrahim to ensure the match went the distance.

“There is nothing to worry about as you have to understand we were two players down. Our players showed lots of fighting spirit and courage. We have great potential in this team because of this spirit. No one accepts to lose but I am so proud of my players,” Al Jaber said.

“All I want from the boys is to wake up tomorrow morning and forget about this game completely. They have to now focus on the remaining tournaments. This is a great team with a lot of potential to win trophies.”

The evening also saw the old magic of UAE star striker Esmail Mattar, who proved that he is still more than a fringe player. Mattar, who came off the bench, was instrumental in setting up two goals and then got into the scoring act with a brilliant free-kick to make it 4-4 in extra time.

Saudi Arabia legend Al Jaber said: “Esmail Mattar is a great player, who is very important for us. He moves in and out, he is one of the iconic players of UAE football. He made a great difference once he was on the pitch.”

Al Sadd coach Hussain Amotta rated the contest as one of the best he had seen in a long time and credited their success to the valiant effort his players put in.

“My players should get the credit. We expected this game to be close but not as close it was,” he said. “Unfortunately the referee made some mistakes. We didn’t get a penalty, but we can’t be complaining on the mistakes because these are not uncommon in football, particularly in a game like this.”