Sweden striker Marcus Berg’s confidence about winless Al Ain’s progression in the 2018 AFC Champions League remains bulletproof, despite seeing a hatful of chances go begging against Al Rayyan.
The Boss dominated their tenacious Qatari opponents for large spells on Tuesday night, but could only secure a 1-1 draw after first-half penalties were shared between Berg and Morocco striker Abderrazak Hamdallah. In particular, the former was guilty of putting in an uncharacteristically wasteful display to ensure a second-successive stalemate in Group D.
Could belief now be a problem for the 2002/03 winners, with four games left?
“No, no – not at all,” replied Berg, who has struck an impressive 16 times in 23 run-outs since June’s €3.3 million (Dh14.9m) move from Greece’s Panathinaikos. “We know we are a strong team and we know we can do better than we did in this game.
“But still, we have a good chance. It is not about goals, it is about the points we need to make it to the next round.
“I think we have a good chance to do it, but we need the three points.”
Berg, 31, has proven a superb addition for Al Ain. He has thus far excelled where Nigeria front man Emmanuel Emenike, Brazilian striker Douglas and Saudi Arabia loanee Nasser Al Shamrani flopped since July 2015’s sale of Ghana record breaker Asamoah Gyan.
Experience of the Europa League and UEFA Champions League had been gained during previous stints at Hamburg, PSV Eindhoven and Pana. He is now enjoying continental football in Asia.
Berg said: “It is a strong competition [the ACL].
“All the teams are competitive and try to win the games.
Al Ain next month face a vital double header against Iran’s Esteghlal, led by their ex-coach Winfried Schafer.
