Al Khaleej coach eyes semi slot

Dubai: Al Khaleej coach Sameer Al Juwaihi believes his side is capable of reaching the semifinals of the etisalat Emirates Cup.

"We are a compact side and we are capable of competing against the best teams in the UAE," Al Juwaihi told Gulf News following his team's 1-1 draw against lowly Al Shaab on Wednesday.

"The idea tonight was to win against Al Shaab and get prepared mentally for our next match against Al Jazira," Al Juwaihi stated.

However, all these calculations fell through as Al Khaleej had to rely on a late equaliser from Adel Mohammad to scramble through for a 1-1 result and split points.

That draw, however, did keep alive their chances for the second spot in Group B with two more matches to go - first against group leaders Al Jazira and then against Al Wasl.

"My players did not enter the field in the right frame of mind. They took things easy as the match was against a weak team like Al Shaab. But they [Al Shaab] showed us what they were capable of with those swift counter-attacks and then the first goal," Al Juwaihi said.

The opening goal proved to be the wake-up call for the visitors as they shrugged off their earlier lethargy in search of an equaliser.

"We paid for our lethargy. This is not the result we wanted. We had come for a win and full points so that we could enter the next game with seven points," an unhappy Al Juwaihi said after the match

With two more preliminary round matches still to go, Al Jazira have already booked their place in the last four stage with 12 points, leaving Al Khaleej in second with five points and Al Shaab and Al Wasl in third and fourth with two points each.

Al Juwaihi rued his team's wasted chances especially in the first half. "We should have scored early and put them under pressure, but we kept on losing concentration each time we approached the area. That gave Al Shaab enough time to settle down."

However, the coach hopes his players have learnt their lesson.

"I have always insisted that we respect all opponents. Luckily our equaliser came at the right time," Al Juwaihi sid.

The penultimate round of group matches for the etisalat Emirates Cup will be held on January 18-19.