Javad Nekounam, the head coach of Tractor football team, expressed dissatisfaction with the result of the match against Al Ain of the UAE in the press conference after the game, stating that his team performed better throughout the match but the opponent cleverly managed to secure three points.
Better Performance on the Field
Nekounam said in this meeting: “We had watched Al Ain's games in the UAE league and the Asian Champions League. We were the only team that forced the opponent to defend and played better than them for about 70 minutes. We played very well.” He referred to the bad goal his team conceded at the beginning of the match and added: “After that goal, the game was under our control, and we were able to create many opportunities.”
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He continued: “Unfortunately, after scoring the equalizer, we faced another surprise and a cross from the opponent that led to their second goal. We tried to take control of the game, but the opponent defended well, making it difficult for us to create opportunities.”
Hosting Issues and Player Shortages
The head coach of Tractor also pointed out the problems his team faces in the Asian Champions League: “We lost three of our top players for this match, and two of our stars are injured. Despite all this, we played well and were better than the opponent.”
Nekounam spoke about hosting in the Asian Champions League, saying: “If we were the hosts, the situation would be different, and 80,000 people would come to our games in the stadium. We Iranians are tougher than that and work hard for the team to succeed. Iran is a safe country, and there are no problems; teams can come and go easily.”
The head coach of Tractor emphasized that he closely follows the UAE league, stating: “We played against Al Ain with the Foolad team and managed to defeat the opponent 4-0 at that time. The conditions for us are different, and a lot of expenses are incurred to succeed.”
Nekounam concluded by emphasizing that despite travel issues and player shortages, his team performs well in the Iranian Premier League and can compete with good Iranian teams.
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