Dubai: Al Wasl coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena remained grounded despite his team moving to the top of the standings with a 2-1 win over early leaders Al Wahda in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) late on Friday.
The home team rode on a fine second half brace from their Brazilian star Fabio De Lima.
Sebastian Tagliabue pulled one back for the visitors but could not stop The Cheetahs from Al Zabeel walking away with full points and overtake them in the standings.
Tied goalless at the end of the first half, the home team got a much-needed lead when De Lima got his fifth goal of the season in the 55th minute, only to see the visitors bounce back with Tagliabue turning in a defensive error in the 80th minute.
But De Lima ensured maximum points when he rose above the Al Wahda defence and nodded in a corner with just three minutes remaining.
The result puts The Cheetahs at the top of the standings with 10 points following three wins and a draw from their four matches while Al Wahda slipped into second with three wins for their nine points.
“I would never lie to my players. A more reasonable result would have been a draw as they [Al Wahda] enjoyed better possession,” Arruabarrena told media.
“But in the end we showed a completely different personality as a team tonight and two things better than Al Wahda — score more goals and stay solid in defence. I admit we need to work on many things, but we will take the three points and the leadership of the league,” he added.
The Argentinean coach further stressed that a lot of work still needs to be done if Al Wasl are to be counted as genuine contenders for the league title by the end of the season.
“Being at the top at this stage actually means nothing. This is just the beginning,” the 42-year-old said.
“As I have insisted at the beginning of the season, it is important to start well. But it is even more important to remain at the top,” he added.
Al Wahda coach Laurentiu Aurelian Reghecampf said his team felt cheated as they had played better and held more possession but still come away empty-handed in what is their first setback of the season.
“Both goals were easy giveaways, but we did well to respond. We controlled a major part of the match and a draw would have been a fair result,” the Romanian said.
“I am not worried that my team will be sulking after this result. We played much better and we have a band of true professionals who are capable of putting this result behind them and continue with their evolution as one of the best teams in the UAE,” he added.
Round Five will see Al Wahda host Hatta on October 19 while new leaders Al Wasl will travel to Abu Dhabi to take on defending champions Al Jazira the following day.
