Al Ain: Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic praised his side’s “big character” after they battled back to avoid a FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 upset against Team Wellington on Wednesday.
The Boss found themselves 3-0 down after 44 minutes but showed great spirit to score three goals and take the match to extra-time and then penalties.
Two saves from goalkeeper Khalid Eisa saw Al Ain emerge victorious and they now play CAF Champions League winners Esperance in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Despite watching his side struggle to beat a semi-professional team, Mamic was happy with the resilience demonstrated by his players.
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Host side @alainfcae_en came from three goals down to advance to the second round of the #ClubWC after a penalty shoot-out win over @TeamWelly pic.twitter.com/1YA62mnSTs— #ClubWC (@FIFAcom) December 12, 2018
“I think we did not start the game badly,” Mamic said in the post-match press conference. “We controlled the match, we had some good situations in front of goal. But this amazing shot (by Wellington’s Mario Barcia) shocked us. An unbelievable goal. Then we lost stability, we lost confidence in our defence.
“But thankfully the goal by Tsukasa Shiotani just before half-time gave us some spirt. I know the quality I have in my team. Football can be unexpected. That happened today but I think we wrote history.
“No team in this competition has come back from 0-3 to reach the next round. It is great to be part of this. It means there is big, big character in my team. There is confidence in my team. It is not everyday a team can do this. Today we believed we could come back and we did. Bravo to the team.”
Top scorer Marcus Berg was surprisingly named among the substitutes at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, coming off the bench to score a late equaliser for Al Ain. Mamic revealed that the Sweden striker was rested as he was suffering from a virus.
“Marcus was yesterday night in very good shape but during the night he had a virus with high fever,” Mamic explained. “We tried to recover him but he was in very bad condition. That’s why he didn’t play from the beginning.
“I thought it would be better if we need him later to bring him on. Thankfully he scored the goal and helped the team.”
Team Wellington boss Jose Figueira was left to rue his side’s luck as they narrowly missed out on a place in the next round.
“The final result hurts but I am very proud of what the players put out on the pitch today so far away from home and in an atmosphere that is very different to what we are used to,” Figueira said.
“As amateur players with amateur resources – to come somewhere like this and put on a performance like we did tonight was beyond expectations. The initial feeling is one of hurt but I’m also extremely proud.”
While Wellington now return home, Al Ain can turn their attention to Esperance. Despite the difficulties against the New Zealanders, Mamic believes his side have what it takes to progress further.
“The character is a great point to take to our next game. But the next game will be different. We have to use these three days for recovery, to make a plan for this game and to try to reach the next round. Everything is possible.”
Photos: FIFA via Getty Images
Source: the-afc.com