LONDON: Al-Ain’s win over River Plate in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal was a historic one.
Zoran Mamic’s side pulled off a remarkable penalty-shootout victory over South American champions River Plate on Tuesday.
It was a victory that even prompted praise from the UAE leadership — including Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan, who took to Twitter to hail the achievement.
And for Mamic himself, he called it the “biggest result in the history of the country and Al-Ain.”
The Croatian coach is hoping that in Saturday’s final against Real Madrid that he can lead his team one better than his countrymen in this year’s World Cup final.
“I hope not to be the Croatia of this World Cup because I hope to do better. They lost the final and I want to win it,” Mamic said.
“Maybe it’s something an Emirati must say. I’ve been in this country for a couple of years, but I think yes, that we are perhaps looking at the greatest success in football in this country. I’m proud to be part of this success. I hope the best is yet to come.
“I am very happy and very proud, I am proud to be part of this success. For the first time in our history we won the double last season, now we are through to the final of the Club World Cup,” he added.
But Mamic is under no illusions as to how tough the task ahead is for his Al-Ain team.
“We showed that in football anything is possible, when you fight, when you respect each other, when you support each other,” he said.
“They deserve to enjoy this moment. But we have in front of us four days for recovery.
“We have to use these four days in the best possible way, because it will be very, very hard for us.”
And for his River Plate counterpart, Marcelo Gallardo, it was a humbling loss and he said his team lacked the focus needed for the game, especially coming after their huge victory over Boca in the Copa Libertadores.
“The issue was our level of concentration against a rival that on paper was inferior,” Gallardo said. “It was a dangerous match for us and when we let down our guard they were able to tie.
“But the party must continue because what we achieved (against Boca) was historic.”
Zoran Mamic aiming to make history against Real Madrid as Al-Ain fairytale goes on
Zoran Mamic aiming to make history against Real Madrid as Al-Ain fairytale goes on
