MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
PANJIM/MARGAO, APRIL 5
“We will be without our three foreign players, two Congolese and an Ethiopian, but we will fight tooth and nail, with all our might, as we challenge Churchill Brothers in the return match of AFC Cup Group B match at Nehru stadium, Fatorda, Margao on Tuesday at 4 p.m.,” stated visiting coach, Sami Nasha of Al Hilal.
“We will also miss another player of ours, Selwi. Yet, we have enough firepower and we are determined to give our best,” declared the Yemeni coach at the pre-match conference presided by Match Commissioner May Tola at Nehru Stadium press conference hall, Fatorda on Monday.
“We know that Churchill Bros are a very strong team. They played well in Sana’a. While they converted their chances and scored two goals, we lost many chances, including a spot kick early on, and that’s a sad story for us,” Sami remarked.
“Do not forget that we have won the AFC Cup in the past. We gave Kuwait a torrid time in the inaugural match ion Kuwait. We were leading till the dying minutes when Kuwait came up with a sudden equaliser and we had to share points following a 2-2 draw,” Sani stated.
“The standard of the three teams in Group B is more or less the same. All are well balanced outfits and so the standard is quite high. We envisage no problems against Churchill Bros and we will go all out for a victory. Our morale is very high. In fact, it was always so. In fact when we played against Kuwait, we were the better side,” voiced the Al Hilal coach.
“We can not go by the past. We lost the first match 1-2. That’s over. We have to concentrate on tomorrow and we are focusing on the victory which is essential for us, if we want to move further in the competition,” remarked Sami.
Churchill Bros coach Carlos Pereira credited Al Hilal with good performance in Sana’a. “We won, but it was a difficult match. Al Hilal are a very good team. They have improved a lot over the years. Tomorrow, we will have to give yet another superlative performance as Al Hilal would seek revenge for their home defeat. We cannot afford to be complacent,” Carlos explained.
“Our team is peaking now. It takes time. The break for the AIFF camp, was not to our advantage. They players returned and had to join the team immediately. That was not very productive. So, we suffered some setbacks in the I-League, no doubt. But we have returned to our consistent ways now. Tomorrow, we will do our best as now I know more about our opponent’s game and tactics,” explained Carlos.
Churchill will be without Vashum following two yellow card suspension.
Churchill are at the top with 4 points from two matches. Kuwait have two from two draws, while Al Hilal are at the bottom with just one point from two matches.
The teams with jersey numbers in brackets:
Churchill Bros (red jerseys): Arindan (29), Lalit Thapa (31); Rowilson (4), Dhana (5), Naveen (6), Felix (7), Naoba (8), Kalu (9), Odafa (10), Nascimento (15), Robert (17), Saran (18), Gouramangi (19), Didika (20), Jaison (22), Lenny (24), Charan (27), Dinesh (28), Asley (37).
Al Hilal blue jerseys: Mayash (1), Anas (2), Al Safi (3), M Salesh (4), Amgad (5), S Saeed (6), A Mubarak (7), Y Basuhai (9), Munassar (11), Al Sheheri (14), O Murad (16), Al Sasi (17), T Hanash (18), Mohanad (19), Nezar (20), Salem (25), Gehad (28), M Hashem (35).
Match officials: Vo Minh Tri (referee), Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Mguyen Hoang Minh (all Vietnam), Suleiman Jaber (Jordan).
Match Commisioner: May Tola (Cambodia).
