Al Sharjah crashed to their third successive defeat in the AFC Champions League, humbled 3-1 at home by Saudi Arabian side Al Shabab.
Their coach, Toni Oliveira, however, has no time to grieve over the loss. With a skeletal squad, he is more worried about the matches he will be playing ahead in a crowded calendar.
"Our most difficult times are still ahead of us," said the Portuguese, who has made Sharjah's survival in the Pro League his primary focus. "We are playing 11 games in 45 days and have to play all these games with more or less the same players.
"Next Sunday we have a difficult Pro League game against Al Wahda. On April 18 we travel to Al Jazira and on the 21st we will be in Saudi Arabia playing Shabab.
"Four days later we meet Al Wasl and the next week [May 2] we have Al Ahli. Just four days after that game, we will be playing Piroozi again.
"This is a big problem for us. We don't have too many players to rotate the squad and allow players to recover and recuperate. That is why I am proud of the efforts my players are putting in. They are doing their best."
While Oliveira, understandably, sympathises with his players, the fact is most of them played well below their best, especially in defence.
Nawaf Mubarak, Jean Carlos and Anderson played their hearts out in attack, posing a regular threat to the visitors. The two Brazilians combined to put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute, with Anderson heading home Carlos' free-kick.
Sharjah's amateurish defence, however, allowed Shabab's frontmen a free rein, with Abdoh Autef (41st minute) and Marcelo Camacho (48th) being virtually unhindered as they scored the second and third goals.
The tide, however, turned after a contentious penalty awarded to Shabab by Chinese referee Tan Hai in the 20th minute.
As Nassir al Shamrani sprinted into the box, Sharjah keeper Rashid Hassan left his guard and dived for the ball at the Saudi striker's feet, tripping him in the act. There seemed to be no infringement, but the referee thought otherwise and a grateful al Shamrani converted.
Oliveira refused to offer the decision as an excuse and said: "I don't like to talk about referees and I have not seen the replays. With or without the penalty, there was a big difference of quality between the two sides.
"Shabab played like a smooth, well-oiled machine.They showed great organisation and fluidity in their movement. We know our team and we understand there is a big difference between us and the others."
The Shabab manager Enzo Trossero, however, said: "We don't know if it was a penalty or not, but the referee thought so and when we scored, it gave us a big chance."
arizvi@thenational.ae
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
SHAITTAN
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Power: 905hp
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