Al Ain's Serbian coach Vladimir Ivic emphasized that the players' lack of focus cost the team a victory over Al Nassr in the match that took place last evening at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, as part of the 16th round of the Professional League, which ended in a 1-1 draw. "We missed three clear scoring chances in the first half due to a lack of focus, while Al Nassr scored from a chance they didn't create, which came from our players' mistake," said Ivic at a press conference after the match. Meanwhile, Al Nassr's coach, Slavisa Jokanovic, said that his team played well in the first half and managed to take the lead with a goal, noting that his team's performance improved later in the second half, but they failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage that Al Ain had due to a red card, ultimately settling for a draw. Al Nassr's coach refused to comment on the refereeing decisions that occurred, especially in the second half, saying: "My focus was only on the technical aspects happening in the match, and I did not concentrate on other matters." Mehdi Qaidi scored for Al Nassr in the 20th minute, while Al Ain equalized through Placius in the 66th minute. Al Ain lost two crucial points in the race for the top spot, with its tally now at 38 points (the same as Shabab Al Ahli, who have played one match less), while Al Nassr secured an important point away from home to raise their total to 21 points.
