Al Ain’s hopes of a second Asian Champions League crown were wrecked by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at a packed Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday. Manager Zlatko Dalic spoke to the press afterwards.
Draw not enough
Al Ain were held 1-1 in the second leg, meaning Jeonbuk took the title 3-2 on aggregate. Substitute Han Kyo-won opened the scoring for the visitors on the half-hour, but Lee Myung-joo equalised four minutes later. Not long after, Douglas missed a penalty for Al Ain, while Dalic and Jeonbuk coach Park Choong-kyun were banished to the stands following an altercation moments before half-time. Al Ain’s wait for the trophy will now stretch to 14 years.
• Match report: Al Ain 1-1 Jeonbuk (2-3 agg): Asian Champions League final heartbreak for UAE club
On dealing with defeat
“A big shock,” Dalic said. “A big shock for everyone because we didn’t deserve to lose the game. It happens, it’s football. We created a lot of chances in the first and second game, we missed some luck, we missed a penalty. The game was going in our direction. Nothing but congratulations to Jeonbuk. We must be fair and be gentlemen, always.”
On seeing red
“I did some accident, but I cannot respect that another team, another coach, make unfair football,” Dalic said. “I’m always fair, I’m always correct. This is football, we cannot do anything now. I’m sorry because of all of the fans, all the people from our country, and say thanks to everyone who attended the game and gave big support to us. We need to recover, but it will be difficult.”
• Analysis: Big match nerves prove telling: Al Ain's wait for second Asian Champions League title goes on
On bouncing back
“I will see, because now I know my players, it’s a big shock and they are down,” Dalic said. “Hopefully we’ll do our job the best and try to recover. We have to come back in three days for a new game [in the Arabian Gulf League] and it won’t be easy. Because I know how I feel now, how my players feel, but it’s football, it’s life. We cannot stop playing football, we cannot stop training. We must come back. A big experience for us — a bad experience — but it’s football.”
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On having no regrets
“Nothing,” Dalic said. “After two games I can just say mabrook for my players and thank you to them. Because they played great games in both legs. They missed some luck, they missed a penalty and they conceded a goal from Jeonbuk’s first chance. It wasn’t easy for them to come back in the game and do their best. If we finished the first half 2-1, we’d another 45 minutes for the third goal and big confidence. But after the penalty we lost our confidence, lost a little morale.”
On the mood in the dressing room
“They are very quiet, everybody,” Dalic said. “Big shock. After the game, maybe they’ll never a chance like this, to play a final here after a good result in the first game. But the other team took the trophy, so congratulations to them and we continue our work.”
[ jmcauley@thenational.ae ]
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