Jorge Valdivia needs more protection - Al Wahda's Sebastian Tagliabue

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  • Getting behind his team-mate: Sebastian Tagliabue (c).

    Sebastian Tagliabue believes controversial Al Wahda team-mate Jorge Valdivia’s blow up at Al Ahli proved he is only human and says the playmaker was not provided proper protection.

    The Clarets fell to a 3-0 loss to the new Arabian Gulf League leaders on Friday. They were only a goal down when the Chile superstar, 32, exploded on the touchline at the end of a tight first half, receiving two quick-fire yellow cards for striking Khamis Esmail and arguing with referee Adel Al Naqbi.

    Valdivia had received several meaty challenges, with his fellow South American decrying the treatment handed out to him by both players and officials.

    “I think 3-0 is not a scoreline that was realistic,” said the 17-goal top-flight leading marksman.

    “I think 1-0 was good, but this is football – you cannot relax for one minute.

    “Maybe if Valdivia had stayed in the field, we would have lost 3-0 anyway. But, we have to learn.

    “We are professional players and everyone has to learn. Everyone is human and everyone can do things when you play.

    “I don’t know what to say – it was a difficult game in which the referee always gave everything to them. Every time, the player from Al Ahli cried to him.

    “They screamed and shouted whenever we touched them. Football is not like this.

    “When Al Ahli made a foul against us, there was nothing. It continued and continued.

    “When we touched them, it was always a foul. At the same time, it is very difficult to play like this.”

    The visitors to Rashid Stadium excelled for long periods, being unlucky to fall behind in the 11th minute to forward Ciel’s off-the-cuff volley. They even excelled with 10 men during the second half, an injury-time flurry from Brazil attacking midfielder Everton Ribeiro and midfielder Habib Fardan adding gloss to the scoreline.

    The result saw them fall to take advantage of third-placed Al Nasr’s draw with Dibba Al Fujairah in the race to claim the likely final AFC Champions League qualification spot through the top flight.

    The Blue Wave and Al Wasl are locked on 33 points, with fifth-placed Wahda four points further back with seven matches to play.

    Tagliabue remains confident that a return to the continent’s premier club competition for the first time since 2010 can still be achieved.

    He said: “We lost an important chance but we have important games to come. We have Al Wasl at home (on April 23) and for sure, Al Nasr will lose points now they start to play in the Champions League.

    “When we started the second round we had the worst calendar. We had so many big teams and now we play against smaller teams, in which we will command the games – we have everything in our hands.”

    Wahda also suffered another blow in the weekend defeat as UAE centre-back Hamdan Al Kamali is set to be absent for a fortnight with a groin problem.

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