Sharjah boss Giorgos Donis is confident the slaughtering of Emirates Club will provide a timely boost for next week’s Arabian Gulf League kick-off.
Donis, 46, watched from the dugout on Thursday as goals from Adrian Mierzejewski (2), Yousif Saeed, Jamal Maroof and Gelmin Rivas secured a dominant 5-1 victory in Group A of the Arabian Gulf Cup.
This was the perfect retort to a disappointing debut for the ex-Greece midfielder, when Digao’s own goal gifted Al Wasl a 1-0 victory.
A top-flight trip to Al Shabab now awaits for the richly-assembled King on Friday.
“Our victory in the game is good for our morale and good for us psychologically,” said Donis, who was previously employed by Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal from February 2015-May 2016.
“Despite the win, there are downsides to the team which must be resolved.”
Meanwhile, coach Pablo Repetto was not too downcast despite making a losing bow at Bani Yas.
The Sky Blues’ delayed start to 2016/17 saw them lose 3-2 at Dibba Al Fujairah in Group B, young defender Hasan Almuharrami’s 88th-minute own goal proving key.
“The goals came from individual mistakes, however those mistakes can happen,” said the Uruguayan, whose side face a trip to Al Ain next Sunday for their opening AGL test. “We are in the beginning of the season and we have time to recover.”
Al Wahda supremo Javier Aguirre vowed to put his charges through their paces in the coming days after the AG Cup-holders lost 4-2 at home to Al Dhafra in Group A.
He said: “We just lost focus just sometimes. We now need to focus on building harmony between us in the coming days.”
The Clarets play First Division League champions Hatta on Friday.
