Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic is sure Arabian Gulf League title race is still 'in our hands' despite first loss

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  • Confident Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic has insisted the fate of the Arabian Gulf League’s title race remains “in our hands”, despite warming up for Thursday’s top-of-the-table clash against Al Wahda with a surprise first loss of the campaign at Sharjah.

    Brazilian forward Vander Vieira’s brace of penalties and a killer third from compatriot Lulinha ensured the leaders were beaten 3-1 in the top flight at the 17th time of asking.

    Ranks impacted by bereavements to UAE pair Ahmed Khalil and Ahmed Barman, plus Sweden no9 Marcus Berg’s illness, ensured Saturday’s visitors to Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium could not respond after 2016 AFC Player of the Year Omar Abdulrahman had levelled things up with a spot-kick on 15 minutes.

    This shock result was made more infuriating by the fact Wahda recorded a goalless draw at home to inconsistent Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club a day prior. But Mamic had no fears about the imminent match at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium as he tries to guide the UAE’s most-decorated club to a first success since 2015/16, with just one point separating the sides.

    He said: “The fate of the team is still in our hands, despite the loss to Sharjah. We now wait to play Al Wahda at home, greeting them in front of our fans in the next round in the best way.

    “We did not show the level required and did not take advantage of the opportunities that we had the front of the opponent’s goal.

    “Al Wahda also faltered in this round, but such things happen in football.

    “We have the opportunity to improve.

    “We had several problems during our preparations for the match in Sharjah. Marcus Berg had a severe cold that affected his body temperature and he actually joined the team only an hour before the start of the game.

    “We also missed Ahmed Khalil and Ahmed Barman.”

    It has been a frustrating few weeks for Al Ain. They had already drawn both their opening Group D-fixtures in the 2018 AFC Champions League.

    This negative mood forced Mamic to explain his in-game decisions in Sharjah.

    He said: “I brought on [utility wide man] Bander Al Ahbabi to take advantage of his speed, and pulled [UAE centre midfielder] Amer Abdulrahman after he received a yellow card. He’s also not yet reached the degree of readiness required after his return from injury.

    “The changes we made were necessary and can sometimes be hit or miss, but today we did not make mistakes with our technical decisions.”

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