Al-Jazeera's head coach, Marino Pušić, confirmed that the team's match against Al-Wahda in the first leg of the UAE Pro League Cup semi-final was difficult and full of challenges. He stated that the final result, a 3-0 loss, does not reflect the performance the players delivered during the match. While acknowledging the difficulty of making up the deficit in the return leg, he emphasized that 'Pride of Abu Dhabi' remains hopeful of achieving victory in the return match at Al-Nahyan Stadium next Saturday.
Pušić told 'Al-Ittihad': 'In reality, the match did not fully reflect the course of play. It was about how the match progressed, our performance, and how we created chances. It was a very difficult match, and Al-Wahda was more effective in capitalizing on the chances it created by scoring three goals.'
He continued: 'Overall, I cannot complain about the way we played. I think we had a very good game. We started the match excellently and were in control of the ball, but Al-Wahda has fast players who are good on the counter-attack, and unfortunately, we made some mistakes during these attacks.'
He added: 'The first goal came from a counter-attack, the second was due to our mistake, and the third should not have happened because it came from a penalty. We also missed many easy chances, so the match was difficult for us to try and get back into it. Despite that, we played very well.'
Pušić also spoke about the difference between Al-Jazeera's recent matches against Al-Ain in the league and Al-Wasl in the cup and the match against Al-Wahda, saying: 'The difference is not big in terms of performance. Actually, some focus only on the results, and I understand that results are always important, but if we analyze the match in detail, we see that there was a team that tried to play football and create many chances. This happens sometimes, where you don't score all your chances, and at the same time, you are punished for counter-attacks because you didn't capitalize on your opportunities.'
He pointed to the difficult position Al-Jazeera is in for the return leg and said: 'Regarding the second match, we must be realistic. A 3-0 result is very big against this strong and difficult team, but this is football, and anything is possible in it.'
He added: 'When I look at the number of chances we created in the first leg, I see that there is a chance to try in the next match. Despite acknowledging the difficulty of the match, it is not impossible. We will try as we did in the second half to score goals, and we will continue to try in the next match to see what it will yield.'
As for his evaluation of the period during which he has been coaching Al-Jazeera following the departure of Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, Pušić said: 'After two months since the start of the competitions, I think we have made progress in all aspects. We have become competitors capable of matching the good teams, as happened in the match against Al-Wahda despite the result. At the same time, we need more work to be able to compete fully. But what has been achieved so far is reasonable, considering where we started.'
He continued: 'I am satisfied with what we have presented, and there is room for more development, which is what arouses my curiosity and our hope for the future. The most important thing is that we have become good competitors and have our own style of play that we need to develop more in the coming period.'
Pušić concluded his remarks, saying: 'The players work hard every day, and they showed a high mentality and fighting spirit, as we saw in the match where they fought until the last second to try and score a goal. This is mentally difficult, and this is football. Sometimes you lose matches like this even if you don't deserve to lose, but this happens, and we must learn from these experiences and continue to improve.'
Marino Pušić: • We have become good competitors, and we have our own style of play. • The first leg match against Al-Wahda did not fully reflect the course of play.
