Al-Sadd coach Javi Gracia expressed his dissatisfaction after his side’s loss to Al-Duhail in the Amir Cup semi-finals.
Speaking during the press conference after the match, Gracia said: “In the beginning, I would like to congratulate Al Duhail on the victory.”
He added: “We tried to do our best and we had many chances, but after the red card to Pedro, we tried to attack and conceded another goal. We fought until the last minute and tried a lot, and we showed a strong character, but it was not enough to achieve the result we hoped for.”
When asked about the changes that occurred in the lineup for the match and the absence of Jung Woo-young, he said: “Jung Woo-young is a very good player for us. He had a great season, but in the last match against Al Duhail in the second half, when we scored and equalised, Woo-young was not present. We have to follow the rotation policy.”
As for the pressure of consecutive matches and their impact on the team, he said: “We played a lot of matches, yes, but it is not fair to talk about them now. It is difficult to accept defeat. The match was even, and it was a different match compared to the two league matches, and we did not achieve what we wanted.”
The coach concluded by saying: “We have to accept the current situation. After 16 matches with Al Sadd, this is my first loss, which I have to accept. I have to learn from the mistakes and correct them in the upcoming matches.”
