Dubai: Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu hailed his team’s fighting spirit after the Red Knights claimed full points in a dramatic last-gasp 3-2 win over neighbours and arch-rivals Al Shabab in their third round match of the Arabian Gulf Cup late on Thursday.
Asamoah Gyan headed in a 92nd winner — his fourth goal for his new club — to seize maximum points and displace their neighbours at the top of Group B. The visitors were down by a goal in the very third minute after Henrique Luvannor slotted from the penalty spot, but Rodrigo Lima restored parity in the 17th minute, also from the spot before Gyan’s goal had given Al Ahli the lead 2-1 in the 35th minute.
The result allowed Al Ahli to leapfrog their opponents on a better goal difference and occupy the top spot in Group B, both teams now with six points from three matches.
“Once again we had to wait till the last minute to score and win three points. This shows the character of my players. No game is over till the final whistle and we have once again proved this,” Olaroiu told media at the post-match conference.
“We created so many chances and the scoreline could have been different if these had been converted. But at the end of it, we are glad to have all three points against a tough team like Al Shabab,” he added.
Al Shabab coach Fred Rutten was unfazed by the result as he sought to scan for positives. “I think it was a very tough game from both teams who played some good football. In the first half we forgot to play football, but we kept on improving in the second half. Everybody is unhappy about the late goal and we have all reason to be unhappy. Perhaps a draw would have been a good result,” Rutten said.
“Tonight our strikers showed more quality compared to the game against Kalba. But you can’t have everything under control all the time. There are mistakes, and football is about mistakes. If players don’t make mistakes then every game will be a draw. But the good thing is that our strikers are high quality and if they get one chance then they are always in a position to score. They have a good reputation,” the Dutchman added.
Al Shabab will have to make the short trip across the creek to play Al Nasr on October 4, while the following day Al Ahli will host Abu Dhabi outfit Bani Yas, who are yet to open their account.
