Bonamigo lauds Al Shabab maturity as they claim victory

Dubai : Al Shabab coach Paulo Bonamigo is pleased with the maturity shown by his side following their 2-0 win against newcomers Dubai Club in the etisalat pro league late on Friday.

"We played as per our game plan. But what is most pleasing is the maturity that my players showed in making a comeback from that early loss against Bani Yas," Bonamigo told media after picking up their first points this season.

Keeping control

"We always knew Dubai was a solid team, but we did well to keep possession and controlled proceedings. But the one thing that we managed best was to keep their main players [Michael Ndri and Rachid Tiberkanin] under control," Bonamigo said.

Al Shabab secured full points, thanks to second half debut goals from their Brazilian import Julio Caesar (65th minute) and Senegalese striker Lamine Diarra (83rd).

"Yes this was a brilliant performance compared to what we displayed against Bani Yas. But what stood out is the maturity being shown by this team. We did not allow Dubai Club to get involved in the match and that, for me, is a sign of bigger and better things in the future," the coach said.

He is aware of the huge pool of talent at his disposal after Al Shabab surprised everyone by winning the league title in 2007-08.

"Though we have most of the players from that year, we have to also consider that we have two new players [Caesar and Diarra] and they need to get used to our style. Yes definitely I see a lot of future in this team and the way forward for us is hard work. We need to keep on motivating them and the results will follow," he said.

Bonamigo refrained from drawing a comparison with the squad that won the club the league title a couple of seasons back.

"It would be wrong to do that because the level of play and motivation then and now is completely different."