Dalic bemoans defensive errors in crushing ACL defeat to Al Hilal

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  • Outplayed: Al Ain were beaten 3-0 by Al Hilal in the ACL semi-final first leg.

    Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic believes his players made more errors in one match than they have done in his whole time in charge during last night’s dispiriting 3-0 AFC Champions League semi-final, first leg defeat at Al Hilal.

    The Boss require a stunning performance during the return meeting in a fortnight’s time to salvage their aspirations of lifting Asia’s premier club competition for the first time in 11 years.

    Their hopes disappeared in Riyadh during a manic 10-minute spell after the interval littered with defensive mistakes. 

    Nasser Al Shamrani struck a brace, Boss goalkeeper Khalid Essa was sent off for conceding a penalty that replacement Dawoud Sulaiman saved from Thiago Neves, only for the Brazilian to recover shortly after and seal the rout.

    The result marked the first serious setback Dalic has suffered since taking the reins in March. His side previously boasted a 14-match unbeaten run, including success in May’s President’s Cup final.

    “We made personal mistakes,” the Croatian said. “We gave chances to Al Hilal to come into the game. 

    “Against a big team like Hilal you cannot make personal mistakes, especially in the last line. But, it seems after six months my players made mistakes for a whole season.

    “We tried to play with high pressure, very high to take Al Hilal far away from our goal. After the first goal, we lost everything. 3-0 is a big result, I know. We will try to improve, I will give everything and Inshallah we will do our best.”

    Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman is sure all is not lost, with a repeat performance of Hilal’s feat possible for the second leg in Al Ain. He said: “First of all congratulations to Al Hilal and hard luck for Al Ain. This match is now over and we will be looking forward to win the next match in Al Ain and as Al Hilal scored three goals, we are able to score three goals also. 

    “In the first half, we played well and we made a good game, but in the second half and after the first goal, the superiority changed for Al Hilal because of the home and audience advantages, but we can return the loss in the next game.”

    Al Hilal striker Al Shamrani admitted their long-ball game left Al Ain exposed at the back. He said: “The game was tough in the beginning, but we managed to pass it in the second half. The coach requested to rely on long passes and this is what gave us progress.”

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