Mixed luck for Matars

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Ismail Matar was dejected after Al Wahda’s defeat to Jazira.
Ismail Matar was dejected after Al Wahda's defeat to Jazira.

Published: Sun 20 Sep 2015, 8:31 PM

After a captivating 95 minutes, there was one happy Matar and one sad Matar.
As a reluctant Yaser Matar was hoisted by his teammates, just beside him, Ismail Matar sat there on the lush green pitch of the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, drenched in sweat, dejected, staring into nothingness.
Ismail's younger sibling Yaser had just scored a stunner, moments earlier, to rob what could have been a draw for Al Wahda, in the Arabian Gulf League.
Brothers they are, but on the pitch, family ties are put aside and they are the fiercest opponents. Ismail was still yet to come to terms with the result as he made his way to the team bus and didn't say much about his brother's stunning goal.
"There is nothing you can do when something like that happens in the final seconds. We are professionals and he is a player for his club and I'm a player for my club. He is my brother off the pitch," said Matar.
"Al Jazira were two goals ahead and we fought back very well to draw it. But then, there was nothing we could do after they scored the winner in the final minute. We deserved more than this, we deserved a draw," added the Al Wahda veteran.
For Yaser, the most important thing was the three points gained. "The most important thing was the three points. It was nice to score such an important goal but I play for the team and that's the most important thing. It is for the team. I dedicate this goal to the team," said Yaser, who joined Al Jazira from Al Wahda in 2010.
james@khaleejtimes.com

By James Jose

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