We made many mistakes, says Al Ain coach Mamic

Action from the match between Al Ain and Al Wasl in the President's Cup on Friday. -Courtesy UAE FA

Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic admitted that his side made many mistakes in what he termed a 'crazy match' against Al Wasl in the first round of the President's Cup.
In what was an eight-goal thriller, 'The Boss' went down 5-3 to 'The Cheetahs' at the Al Nahyan Stadium, late on Friday night. Fabio de Lima and Caio Canedo scored a brace each.
But despite the defeat, Mamic was not too fretting on his side's defensive frailties ahead of their first appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain from Dec. 12 to 22.
"The match saw eight goals but we made more mistakes than the opponents on the ground, we did not show the required level and we lost the match 5-3," said Zoran Mamic.
Mamic was not unduly worried about his frontline when his team line-up against Team Wellington FC in the play-off at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Dec. 12.
"Firstly, I think we do not have problems in the attack. We scored three goals against Al Wasl and I think it was enough to win. We have scored more goals than last season during this period. So, I'm not too worried," the Croatian said.
Mamic also said that they paid the price for their errors against a strong team like Al Wasl, who capitalised on those mistakes.
"Al Wasl are a good team and managed to exploit our mistakes. When you lose the ball 30 meters away and you do not re-position and react well, then you will find the opponents taking advantage of such a space. During the first half, our assists were not very accurate and our passes were not good at all," Mamic said.
Al Ain were also plagued by injuries and exhaustion and that told in their performance.
"Not to forget that we are missing Rayan Yaslam and Amer Abdul Rahman due to injury. Also, the three midfielders Yahiya Nader, Mohammed Abadulrahman and Ahmed Barman are suffering from exhaustion as they played most of the team's matches during the recent period. I selected Mohammed Fayez in the back line and pushed Tsukasa Shiotani to his position in the midfield," pointed out Mamic.
Meanwhile, the former Dinamo Zagreb coach said Al Ain's participation in the Club Word Cup was the reward for an outstanding last season.
"I think Al Ain's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup is the culmination of a great season and it is a bonus and a reward. We have to enjoy and celebrate our achievements and do our best to achieve positive results. We are not under any pressure and our sights are already set on showing our quality and skills in this international competition," said the 47-year-old.
In other fixtures, Dibba stunned Al Wahda 6-0 at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, while Fujairah beat Ajman by a solitary goal. In another match, Al Dhafra won 2-1 against Dibba Al Hisn.
james@khaleejtimes.com