Al Ain boss Zoran Mamic has conceded Team Wellington’s sublime opening goal left his team in shock after they scraped through into the Club World Cup’s quarter-finals.
The 2018 edition’s opener at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, between tournament debutants, saw the amateurs race into a three-goal lead, with the pick being midfielder Mario Barcia’s long-distance strike in the 11th minute.
But a firm response by the Arabian Gulf League champions eventually ended in relief during the penalty shootout and a date on Saturday with CAF Champions League holders Esperance de Tunis.
“I think today until the first goal, we started not that bad,” said Mamic. “We controlled the match, not 100 per cent chances, but some good situations.
“This unbelievable goal shocked us. Then we lost stability and confidence in front of our fans.
“Wellington used this and scored two more goals. It was very, very hard to comeback.
“Thanks to God, we scored in the first half through Shiotani and this gave us some spirit to come back in the second half. What I told the players in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room.
“Football sometimes, you cannot expect what you get from the other day. In the end, we write a history as I don’t think any team in this tournament came back from three-goals down.”
There was surprise before kick-off when prolific Sweden striker Marcus Berg was only fit enough to start on the substitutes’ bench. Mamic cleared up the situation, post-match.
“Marcus yesterday night he was in very good shape, but then he had high fever over the night,” said Mamic, of the player whose stunning half-volley made it 3-3.
“We tried to recover him, but he was in a very, very bad condition.
“He had two chances and scored a goal. Thanks to him that he risked his health for the good of the team.”
.@ZoranM_official Bestows the "Man of the Match" Title to @alainfcae Players and Fans 👏#alainclub pic.twitter.com/j4lsO5jqAQ
— Al Ain FC - EN (@alainfcae_en) December 12, 2018
In the opposite corner, the OFC Champions League winners were left deflated by their near miss. Coach Jose Figueira remained “really proud” of what he’d witnessed.
He said: “The final result hurts, but I’m really proud of what the players put out on the pitch so far away from home and in an atmosphere that is very, very different to what we are used to.
“As amateur players with amateur resources, to come somewhere like this and put on this performance, that was almost beyond expectation.
“The initial feeling is one of hurt, but also extremely proud.
“When you get to penalties, it is a little bit about luck. It is about small moments and unfortunately, the moments fell for them in the shootout.
“It is one of the hardest ways to lose. For us, it is probably an even bigger motivation to want to come back and perform at this level again.”
