Al Wahda coach Steijn delighted by players' response

Dubai - The Clarets nick a 3-2 win over Al Jazira in the Abu Dhabi Derby

Al Wahda coach Maurice Steijn was delighted with the way his players responded after last week's defeat and said that he was very proud of them.
The Clarets, who had suffered a shock loss to Fujairah in their Arabian Gulf League opener, nicked a 3-2 win over Al Jazira in the Abu Dhabi Derby at the Al Nahyan Stadium.
Al Wahda rallied twice through Carlos Lopez's goal and Sebastian Tagliabue's penalty after the Pride of Abu Dhabi had gone ahead on two occasions through Amer Abdulrahman and Khalfan Mubarak. But an own goal from Mohammed Al Attas gave the hosts three points.
"I'm very happy not only because of the result but also because of the way we played after last week," said Steijn.
"We also played very well in that game and the only thing was we didn't score. I asked my players to give everything they have and they did. They fought well and we reacted well to the different scenarios. We kept believing in a good result and I think it was also deserved. We got the best chances and we defended well. The only thing is that my players didn't finish the game earlier because we had so many chances in the last five, six minutes. But, at the end, I'm very proud of my players," he added.
The Dutchman also praised the role played by the club's fans. "Our fans were terrific tonight. I think they helped us and they were really our 12th man," said the 45-year-old.
Steijn said that Al Jazira are bustling with individual talent like Omar Abdulrahman and Ali Mabkhout but said the difference was his side had a good team.
"They have very good players but I think our strength is that we have a very good team," observed Steijn.
Meanwhile, Tagliabue said that improvements still need to be made to make them a better team.
"I always try to do my best and help the team," said Tagliabue.
"It was a difficult game and it was hard to make a comeback. We could have more goals so we have to improve on that," added the Argentine.
james@khaleejtimes.com