DUBAI // Dan Petrescu has reminded his Al Nasr players they have not achieved anything yet after booking their place in next month’s President’s Cup final — a match that could prove to be his last at the club.
The Dubai side, winners of the UAE's premier cup competition in 2015, secured a second final appearance in three years by defeating Hatta 1-0 at Al Wasl's Zabeel Stadium on Thursday night. Abdelaziz Barrada scored the game's only goal.
Nasr, sixth in the Arabian Gulf League with three rounds remaining, now face Al Wahda in the showpiece on May 18 where they have a golden opportunity to transform a turbulent season into a successful one.
Petrescu replaced Ivan Jovanovic in October, with the club seeking to halt a run of four successive defeats that left them ninth in the table. He was also expected to turn around form against the backdrop of striker Wanderley’s lengthy ban for using a falsified passport.
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Nasr have since improved in the league — they have won 10 of 18 matches — while only the head-to-head rule denied them a place in the Arabian Gulf Cup semi-finals.
Speaking after Thursday’s semi-final victory, Petrescu said: “If you look at when I arrived, how many problems I had, the results are not bad. In the Arabian Gulf Cup we played very well, we were unlucky. In the league we had some good results, some not so good. But if you look, when every match I have five or six players missing, then it’s good.
“But I will not be happy to lose the final. I’ll be only happy if we win. Because to play in the final is not enough. It’s good to make the final, but it’s most important to win. Nobody will remember who played the final, only who won.”
Much to his relief, Petrescu hopes to have Wanderley available before the final. The Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury in the league fixture against Kalba earlier this month and has not featured since, although he was named on the bench against Hatta despite not being match fit.
“I put him there just to motivate the players, to give them something,” Petrescu said. “He’s talks, gives good spirit. The players miss him too much and that’s why I put him on the bench.
“We all hope that maybe the next match or in two games he will be ready at least to play 45 minutes to have him ready for the cup final. As always, he works very hard, he’s improving.”
Petrescu, whose contract at Nasr runs until the end of the season, is well aware of the threat posed by Javier Aguirre’s Wahda. Last year’s Arabian Gulf Cup winners, currently fifth in the league, qualified for the final by defeating Sharjah 1-0 on Wednesday night.
“Every final is very tough, it doesn’t matter if we play Al Wahda or another team,” Petrescu said. “They have a fantastic coach, big experience, very good foreign players, very good local players. But in the final the chances are 50-50. The only thing I hope is I have no injuries and no players missing.”
Asked if the match could be his last in charge of Nasr, the Romanian said: “You have to ask the club. For me, I want to stay, but the club will decide.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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