Win against Al Nasr is special, says striker Fabio de Lima

Ahmed Khamis of Al Nasr and Waheed Ismail of Al Wasl in action.

Al Wasl striker Fabio de Lima said the Bur Dubai Derby against Al Nasr was a "special game" and was glad that The Cheetahs could come away with the three points.
"It was a special game for everybody because it was a Derby. A Derby is a different kind of game and we are very happy to have taken all three points," Fabio de Lima said after the game.
And while they had reason to be pleased, de Lima said it was vital to put it behind and concentrate on the road ahead. Next up, The Cheetahs entertain Abu Dhabi heavyweights Al Wahda in the 17th round of the League, at the Zabeel Stadium on February 2. "We got the three points and now we have to recover and concentrate on the next game. Al Wahda are a very strong side and Al Wasl need three more points from the next game. We will work hard this week to get those three points because it is very important to stay at the top," he said.
Meanwhile, Al Nasr defender Joan Oumari said that they were unlucky and some stupid mistakes cost them the game.
"We were a bit unlucky. We made some stupid mistakes at our end. We gave them two easy goals but we played good," said the Lebanese, a winter signing from Turkish side Sivasspor.
Oumari said it was difficult without their Brazilian striker Wanderley, who has been handed a 10-match ban by the UAE Football Association, but added that there was nothing they could do about it. "Wanderley is a very good player but we also have some really good Emirati players and we are a team. Even though Wanderley was not there, we played well. But in the end, we made stupid mistakes," he said. "We cannot do anything. We must try to forget these bad things and try and go for good things."
We must be positive. We lost this game but we have to forget this and concentrate for the next game," added the 28-year-old.
Al Nasr make the road trip to the Garden City to face Al Ain in the next round, at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, on February 3.
 Meanwhile, Al Nasr coach Dan Petrescu is still miffed about the UAE Football Association's decision to ban his striker Wanderley for 10 games and pointed to their Bur Dubai rivals Al Wasl, who have four Brazilians, although one is registered as an Asian player.
 The UAEFA handed Wanderley a 10-match ban after he was involved in a passport row. The AFC, the governing body for Asian football, had initially banned him from playing for three months after he was found to have used a forged and falsified Indonesian passport. After serving the suspension, Al Nasr re-registered Wanderley as a Brazilian during the winter transfer window. And although the AFC approved the decision, the UAEFA said that a player cannot change his nationality midway through the season.
 The AFC has a ruling which allows three foreign players and one Asian player to play for clubs in the region.
After losing to Al Wasl in the Bur Dubai Derby of the Arabian Gulf League at the Al Maktoum Stadium late on Friday night, Petrescu was still upset with the decision. "Of course we are not happy about the result and I think the difference was that they (Al Wasl) had four Brazilian players on the pitch and we have one Brazilian who couldn't play," said the Romanian. "Three days before a match, they say that Wanderley cannot play, is not easy mentally, for the players," he added.
 Al Wasl have Fabio de Lima, Ronaldo Mendes, Serginho and Brazilian-born East Timorese Caio Canedo. The former Chelsea ace was baffled by the decision and was still trying to work his head around such a situation.
 "Of course, I'm upset. We have young players on the pitch and on the bench. Of course, we want Wanderley to play. And I don't understand how is it possible to have four Brazilian players on the pitch when the rule says only three foreign players and one Asian.
 "How can they (Al Wasl) play four Brazilians? Somebody please explain to me. Give me four Brazilians and everything will be good after that. You cannot have four Brazilians against no Brazilians. And we have Wanderley with Brazilian passport but we are not allowed. The only good thing is that we use young players and they will be good for next season. This is a good experiment," he went on.
 "Hopefully Wanderley can play football. He wants to play football," the 49-year-old said. - james@khaleejtimes.com