Arabian Gulf League: This is the sweetest win for us, says Hatta coach Hadzievski

Dubai - Their solitary goal victory against Al Nasr on Friday night also rounded off a perfect record as they had bested the Blue Wave 2-1 in the first leg in December last year

Hatta coach Gjokica Hadzievski described his side's solitary goal win against Al Nasr as the "sweetest victory" and said that it proved that they can mix it up with the big boys in the Arabian Gulf League.
Being a man down didn't deter Hatta as they put that setback behind them to work off the 1-0 victory in the 23rd round of the League on Friday night.
And it took a moment of brilliance from Brazilian striker Samuel Rosa, who scored his ninth goal of the competition, to separate the two sides at the Hatta Stadium, nestled between the hills. It also rounded off a perfect record for Hatta, who had also bested Al Nasr 2-1 in the first leg in December last year.
"This is the sweetest victory for us in this championship because we now have enough points to stay in the championship," Hadzievski said after the game.
Hatta's sixth win and their third at home, took them to 25 points. Hadzievski's men are now far away from the drop and are placed a decent ninth on the table. Furthermore, the League debutants quite possibly could end the season with silverware as they are in the semifinals of the President's Cup, where they incidentally take on Al Nasr next week.
"Al Nasr is a big club, a big team. They were without Wanderley, Jires Kembo Ekoko for this game, however Al Nasr is Al Nasr. To win against such a big team is a big honour for all of us. We have defnitely proved in the championship and we have proved that we can be in the League. And I hope things can be even better next season," added the 62-year-old Macedonian.
Meanwhile, Al Nasr coach Dan Petrescu was left disappointed by the result but vowed to come back stronger in the President's Cup final, in a week's time.
"Now we know what the other team can do and we know where to position ourselves," said Petrescu.
The Romanian also rued the surfeit of injuries that has plagued his side. (Abdelaziz) Barrada wasn't 100 percent fit. Wanderley is injured and Jires Kembo Ekoko too is injured. Barrada played 60 minutes and a good 60 minutes before he was substituted," he said.
The former Chelsea winger also said that the red card perhaps spurred Hatta to muster more from within. "The red card changed the game. It should have been good for us but it was good for them," added Petrescu.
Maher Albalooshi was sent off following a second booking with two minutes left in the first half.
Elsewhere, at the Kalba Union Sports & Cultural Club Stadium, Bani Yas pulled off a late stalemate against Ittihad Kalba. In what was a battle to escape relegation, Kalba had gone ahead through Salam Shakir Alidad on 77 minutes but Jean Philippe Mendy managed to cancel that out in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
They are not out of the woods as yet as Bani Yas are rooted right at the bottom with a mere 13 points, while Kalba are a bit better off with 18 points.
Back at the Hatta Stadium, Al Nasr had begun well and it was pretty much one-way traffic in the opening 10 minutes with the Blue Wave doing recon missions.
But Hatta did find their feet and came close on 23 minutes through a Mahmoud Albalooshi freekick. But Al Nasr shot stopper Abdulla Mohd Ismail kept it out for a corner. Thereafter, they too began conjuring many moves but then were to suffer a setback after Maher Albalooshi was given marching orders.
Al Nasr had a good opportunity on 55 minutes with Abdelaziz Barrada firing one from close range. But Hatta goalkeeper Obid Raihan dived to his left to stop the playmaker's effort.
Then, Rosa, on loan from Brazilian club Fluminense, took matters into his own hands and embarked on a brilliant solo down the left flank. He scythed through defenders Rashed Mohammad Omar, Joan Oumari and slipped past Abdulla Mohd Ismail near the byline before getting in front of the goal mouth to slam it in.
Al Nasr pressed for the equaliser through Mahmoud Khamis and Tariq Ahmed but both were denied Obid Raihan, who was outstanding on the night.
james@khaleejtimes.com
 
GOALS & CARDS:
Hatta 1
(Goal: Samuel Rosa 61. Yellow cards: Maher Albalooshi 31, Mahmoud Darwish 72. Red card: Maher Albalooshi 43)
Al Nasr 0
(Yellow cards: Joan Oumari 45, Fawaz Awana 71, Tariq Ahmed 96)
 
Ittihad Kalba 1 
(Goal: Salam Shakir Alidad 77. Yellow cards: Yasser Abdallah 40, Khaled Khamis Obaid 60, Ghanem Ahmed Bashir 91)
Bani Yas 1
(Goal: Jean Philippe Mendy 95)