Al Ain: Al Ain FC head coach Pedro Emanuel said his side's AFC Champions League 2020 Group D 2-1 defeat to Al Nassr on Tuesday was undeserved.
Omar Yaseen gave UAE's Al Ain the lead in the first half but Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr made a second-half comeback to level the tie through Mukhtar Ali before Abderazzak Hamdallah netted the winner 10 minutes before the end at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
Emanuel said his side played well but paid the price for failing to convert their chances.
“We created many scoring chances but we couldn’t score,” said Pedro Emanuel. “I was sure that having a one-goal lead was not enough because I knew that Al Nassr would attempt a comeback.
“We did everything in the match but failed to get a positive result. We are disappointed because we deserved to have a better result after our performance.”
The Portuguese said Al Ain will fight in their remaining matches as they still have a chance to advance from a very tough group.
“Everything is possible and the leaders in the group have four points,” explained Emanuel. “We must achieve positive results in the remaining four matches.”
FT |@alainfcae_en 1 : 2 @AlNassrFC_EN
Al Ain fail to hold on to the lead while Al Nassr earn their 1stpoints of the campaign.#ACL2020 #AINvNSR
Al Nassr head coach Rui Vitoria revealed tactical changes in the second period helped the Riyadh giants snatch the win.
“We had a difficult match against a strong team who wanted to win after losing their opening match,” said the 49-year-old.
“After falling behind, the players kept their concentration and we were the better side. We changed our plan in the second half which helped us win.”
Vitoria said there is still work for Al Nassr to do after claiming their first victory in the group where all the teams are still in the running to advance to the knockout stage.
“In such matches, experience is very important and our strategy was to control the midfield. Our group is the toughest in the competition and we have a lot of work to do in the upcoming matches."
Al Nassr will resume their Group D campaign against Islamic Republic of Iran's Sepahan FC on March 3, with Al Ain facing Qatar's Al Sadd Sc on the same day.
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