Jubilant Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre has urged his players to use their Arabian Gulf Cup-success as a platform to Asian football.

Brazilian defensive midfielder Denilson’s first-minute strike saw the 10-man Abu Dhabi-side edge Al Shabab, during a final in which Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia was controversially dismissed.

Aguirre, 57, was tasked with delivering a return to the AFC Champions League upon his summer arrival. He was confident of securing this with a top-three finish in the Arabian Gulf League ahead of next weekend’s resumption.

He said: “When you play in a final, you want to win some way or the other. The players rose to that occasion.

“I want to congratulate them. The next target is to finish third in the league and earn a passage to the AFC Champions League.”

Valdivia saw red on 43 minutes after he was adjudged to have kicked compatriot Carlos Villanueva. Replays of the incident failed to show evidence of such an assault.

“I haven’t spoken about the refereeing to the media in all my forty years in the game and I wouldn’t want to do it now,” Aguirre diplomatically stated.

For Shabab, a disappointing display mirrored a poor campaign.

“It was the second half that let us down, because we couldn’t create many chances in that period when playing against 10 men,” said boss Caio Junior.