Al Ahli finished runners-up in this year's Asian Champions League after losing 1-0 on aggregate to China's Guangzhou Evergrande. Goalkeeper Ahmed Dida spoke to the media after Saturday's narrow second-leg defeat in Guangzhou.
HISTORY BOYS:
Ahli had never previously reached the knockout stages, but became the first UAE club in a decade to compete in the final. They came up agonisingly short, when 52 minutes into the return leg at the Tianhe Stadium, Brazilian Elkeson scored the only goal of the tie. Ahli had Salmeen Khamis sent off not long after the hour.
[Gallery: Al Ahli fall at last hurdle in bid for historic Asian Champions League title]
ON KHAMIS'S RED CARD:
"It's not about that," said Dida, who replaced Majed Naser as Ahli's goalkeeper in April and went on to play in his side's final 11 matches. "You're playing the final against a strong team, who in my opinion have more experience in this competition — that was it. They just stole the game."
ON AN EMOTIONAL DEFEAT:
"We just lost the trophy, it's very normal to be sad, but still we don't put our heads down. This is one step and we have a lot ahead. We learn from whatever we do, we learn from this qualification run."
[Reaction: Ahmed Khalil demands Al Ahli brush off ACL defeat to focus on domestic trophies]
ON GOING ONE BETTER:
"For sure, the Ahli team is young still. But this gives us more motivation for the future and hopefully we make it again. Nobody expected us to be in the final and we changed the way people used to look at us. Now Asia knows about us.
ON THE SEASON AHEAD:
"We won't lose confidence. That's the key for us to come back to the Champions League. We need to win the league and the President's Cup to return to this competition. So this is a page we turn and we focus on what we have in the future."
[Cosmin Olaroiu: ACL final the start, not the end for 'fantastic' Al Ahli]
ON HIS ASIAN CAMPAIGN:
"The most important thing is the experience and the confidence. This competition changed me a lot and changed the experience and confidence and the way I play. I look at the game better than I used to, more clearly. My performances are growing and that's a good thing for me."?
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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