Dalic thrilled with great escape

Published: Sun 30 Aug 2015, 11:04 PM

His opposite number may have been rueing what might have been but Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic was thrilled to see his depleted side stage a great escape.
Al Jazira were well on their way to victory after chalking up two goals in the first half. But Al Ain upped their game in the second half to return to the Garden City with a 2-2 draw in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
Both sides were missing a large chunk of their regular first team players because of international duty and Dalic felt his young players coped well after a subdued first half. "We did not show the required levels in the first half of play and we were a bit cautious to start off with. We had two under-21 players in the defence. But we tweaked things a little bit in the second half and our performance improved," said Dalic.
Dalic said that the sweltering conditions meant they were unable to go full tilt. "It was not ideal weather conditions and the players could not keep the same intensity over a long period of time. It was the same for both teams. But we managed to turn it around in the second half. There was better movement, some good passing, concentration and co-ordination and we managed to equalise. I think it was a fair result," the Croatian said.
With many regulars missing, Dalic felt it was a good opportunity for the younger players in the squad. "It was a good opportunity for the young players who hadn't got a look-in earlier as well as for players who were on the fringes of the first team," he said.
Dalic was also pleased with substitute Saeed Al Kathiri, who found the equaliser. The former Al Wahda striker, who had come on for captain Ibrahim Diaky, on the hour, came up with a brilliant header on 74 minutes.
"Saeed Al Kathiri scored a superb goal. He has improved with each game and has a good future wit the club. I hope he will continue to do well for the club. I couldn't play him in the first half because Emmanuel Emenike was returning from injury," he said.

By James Jose

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