Al-Wahda FC is going through a worrying period of results after suffering their third defeat in their last four matches across all competitions, following a 0-1 loss to Al-Wasl in the 11th round of the ADNOC Pro League. This was their first league defeat of the season, which cost them second place in the table to Al-Wasl. The defeat to Al-Wasl ended a long run of positive results across all competitions, extending to 21 consecutive matches without defeat. It also reflected a relative decline in performance in recent times, especially amid pressure from local and continental competitions, and the technical changes that followed the departure of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho. In the match against Al-Wasl, Al-Wahda made repeated attempts to get back into the game, especially in the final minutes, but a lack of attacking effectiveness and Al-Wasl's solid defensive organization prevented them from changing the result, leaving 'Al-Anabi' with a damaging defeat in the title race. Al-Wahda had suffered three defeats in their last four matches across all competitions, losing to Al-Wasl (0-1) in the ADNOC Pro League, to Al-Gharrafa (0-1) in the AFC Elite League of Champions, and to Al-Jazira (0-1) in the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, though they reached the final on aggregate. During this period, they achieved only one win against Khorfakkan (1-0) in the league, reflecting a relative downturn in results at a crucial stage of the season. Al-Wahda is competing on multiple fronts this season, participating in the ADNOC Pro League, the President's Cup, reaching the final of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, and the AFC Elite League of Champions, which has placed immense pressure on the technical staff and players, especially with the congested schedule and increasing physical load. Al-Wahda's coach, Portuguese Dimas Teixeira, confirmed that the defeat is a natural part of football, stressing that the team is still on the right track and can make up for it in the upcoming stage. He told 'Al-Ittihad': 'Losing is a normal part of football, and no team wants to lose, but the pressure of matches and multiple competitions pose big challenges to any team.' He added: 'The matches we lost came at times when it was necessary to rotate players due to the pressure from the league, the President's Cup, the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, in addition to the AFC Elite League of Champions. This is a natural choice for a team competing on more than four fronts.' Teixeira also addressed the rotation policy, explaining that it was necessary to maintain the players' readiness, confirming his full trust in all team members, including the goalkeepers. He said: 'We trust all the players, and rotation was a natural technical choice, not a direct cause of the results.' Teixeira concluded by emphasizing that the league is still long and open to all possibilities, saying: 'We won't win every match, but the most important thing is to continue working and correcting our mistakes, and we will return to training to prepare strongly for the next match. The team is capable of making up for it.'
