The coach of Al Ahli's youth team, Paulo Sousa, expressed relative satisfaction with his team's performance after drawing 1-1 with Al Wahda the day before yesterday in the postponed match of the 16th round of the Professional League. Sousa confirmed that "Dubai's Knights" were the better side for several periods of the match and created enough chances to secure a victory. Paulo Sousa told "Al Ittihad": "The match went through several different stages. We did not start the match well technically, and there were some inaccurate decisions at the beginning. However, we gradually improved towards the end of the first half and began to control the game more, pushing our opponent into their defensive zones." He added: "We were patient and looking for the right moment to play more offensively and reach the opponent's defensive depth. We actually succeeded in creating some dangerous chances through movements and tactical work that we had trained on beforehand, and I think we had a good first half, being balanced and controlling the rhythm of the match." He continued: "We also started the second half well, but after some changes, we lost some control of the ball. Al Wahda's players used their experience to become more balanced in the final minutes of the match. Nevertheless, I think we were closer to winning, as we created six or seven clear chances to score, compared to only two for the opponent." The coach confirmed that "even after Al Wahda's equalizer, Al Ahli's youth team could have won the match in the final minutes because they had important chances. Therefore, I see that Al Ahli's youth team deserved the win based on the number of chances we created." He added: "I am happy with the way the players fought on the field, especially since we had a tough week. The players gave everything they had. We also have a number of players returning from long injuries, and they need some time to regain their best form, because their presence in such big matches makes a difference, like the striker Sardar." He concluded: "Everyone in the team always wants to win, and the fans also expect that, because Al Ahli's youth team is a team accustomed to winning. We are working on regaining our best form as quickly as possible to return to achieving the results we aspire to." Paulo Sousa: • We are working on regaining our best form as quickly as possible.
