Dubai: With the traditional season opener as his next target, Cosmin Olaroiu has called on his Al Ahli troops to maintain humility after thrashing old foes Al Ain 5-1 in the second round of the Arabian Gulf Cup Group B fixture late on Wednesday.
After losing away by a solitary goal against Al Nasr in their opening match last week, the Red Knights picked up their first points with five different players scoring before hard-working Caio Lucio fetched a consolation goal for The Boss.
Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima gave the home side the lead in the fourth minute, while UAE national team discard Habib Al Fardan doubled the score in the 42nd minute for a 2-0 lead at half-time. Young Waleed Hussain slammed in the third from the edge of the box in the 69th minute, while Al Ahli’s latest acquisition Asamoah Gyan marked his debut with his first goal within six minutes after coming in as a second half substitute to make it 4-0 in the 73rd minute.
Two minutes from the end, Everton Ribeiro made it 5-0 before Caio Lucas pulled one back for the visitors deep into injury period.
“This is an important win for us before the Super Cup. This win should give us more spirit and confidence as we get ready for Cairo. I am happy to see an improvement since last time [loss to Al Nasr]. We played well and this margin of victory is just the right thing we need before the Super Cup against Al Jazira,” Olaroiu told media at the post-match conference.
“We don’t think we are perfect just because of the score, and the right thing would be to continue with humility,” he added.
The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has shifted the traditional season opener between league champions Al Ahli and President’s Cup winners Al Jazira in Cairo on September 13. The Arabian Gulf Cup will take a small break before the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) opening round matches from September 16-18.
“For us the problem starts now. We are in a very difficult situation as we have not seen some of our players [who were with the UAE national squad] for a long time and I don’t know how fit they are. We should be very concentrated and focused in choosing our final line-up for Cairo,” Olaroui said.
Going into the Super Cup, the Romanian coach agreed that Al Jazira held the upper hand. “If we look at the players, Al Jazira have an advantage. But we are here to play our best football and we promise to give our best to win. We need to have the spirit, commitment and motivation to go all out and win the first trophy of the season if we are to continue with the good work,” he added.
