Al Ain coach Quique Sanchez Flores hopes the thrilling penalty shoot-out win in the President’s Cup quarter-finals over Al Wasl will boost his players’ confidence as they try to resurrect their title challenge in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) starting with a victory at Ajman on Saturday.
The defending champions are 10 points behind leaders Al Ahli after a goalless draw at home to second-placed Al Shabab in their last AGL match.
It’s been a tough five months for Quique, who replaced Jorge Fossati in September. His side has only won six matches from 14 games and are placed seventh in AGL this season.
But the Spaniard will be happy by the manner with which his players came back from 2-0 down to win 9-8 on penalties after the game had ended 2-2 in extra-time on Monday night.
Quique appeared visibly relieved at being on the winning side and even shook hands with each journalist after the match.
Quique said: “It was another great comeback for us when we were two goals down. It takes a lot of character from the players and they showed what they are made of on the night.
“The players worked very hard and they needed something like this and it’s important that the players take this confidence forward now.
“This competition is very important for Al Ain. We have not won this tournament for a long time so reaching the semi-finals is good news for the club.” The Spaniard said it will be difficult to select his team if each player performs to the best of their ability.
The former Atletico Madrid coach said: “It’s very difficult for players when the opponents have 11 players on their side closing down each player.
“The most important thing for me is that players are wanting to get into the team. It’s difficult for me to select, but it’s good if my players are playing well to get selected.”
Meanwhile, Al Wasl coach Hector Cuper said he will now turn his focus to his side’s next AGL match against Al Jazira at Zabeel Stadium on Saturday.
The quarter-final loss capped a miserable week for Al Wasl, after Cuper and his players endured off-field problems with the entire board resigning a day after their 2-0 defeat to Sharjah in the AGL on Thursday. Thursday’s defeat was their third in a row in the AGL and they are now sitting in 10th position with 17 points.
“My target is always to win matches. The league (AGL) is very hard to win now because we are very far from the top position. But my target right now is to win the next match starting with Al Jazira,” said former Valencia coach Cuper, who looked disappointed after the match.
Following the Al Jazira match, Al Wasl will face their second straight AGL match at home to bottom-side Al Shaab on January 24 with only 10 points separating the two sides
