Debutant Juan Carlos Garrido hailed veteran match-winner Ibrahim Diaky’s “technical value” and “experience” after he salvaged an invaluable 2-1 victory for Al Ain against Al Nasr.
Garrido, 49, looked set to drop more Arabian Gulf League points on Saturday after his new charges, initially, could not build on ex-Blue Wave forward Jamal Ibrahim’s fortunate – and instant – leveller to former Spain striker Alvaro Negredo’s first-half penalty at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
An 86th-minute salvage act then followed from the Boss’ 36-year-old forward, via a free-kick. This result both gave ex-Villarreal, Real Betis and Raja Casablanca coach Garrido a winning start as replacement to Zoran Mamic, plus maintained the champions’ five-point gap to leaders Sharjah.
He said: “We are required to win all the matches. We are also required to improve our performance and commitment to our strategy in dealing with the challenges ahead by thinking about each game on its own and I hope that we will achieve our goals by the end of the current football season.
“The game was well balanced and in the first half we played well, until the referee judged a penalty for the opponent.
“We were late to score, but Al Ain has strong personality. In the second half, it was not an easy task.
“Before I brought on Ibrahim Diaky, I talked to him about the importance of his presence on the team’s list in terms of his technical value.
“His experience is large and managed to help him produce an important goal, at a critical time that was worthy of Al Ain. It will have a positive impact on the team during the challenges ahead.”
Al Ain next travel to rivals Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club, prior to their 2019 AFC Champions League commitments beginning with an instant reunion with Mamic when Saudi Professional League holders Al Hilal come to town.
“It is certain that all upcoming Al Ain matches are not easy, but returning to victory is very important in the world of football and always reinforces the motivation of the players to continue to win the results,” Garrido said.
“And I believe that winning is a good indicator that the team is on the right track and I would like to thank the fans who supported the team from the stands and through the social networking sites. I was personally welcomed by the fans and I would like to congratulate them again.”