Ivan Jovanovic has slammed the careless attitude of his Al Nasr players in the final moments of games after Boris Kabi’s injury-time equaliser allowed Ajman to return home with a point from the Al Maktoum Stadium last night.
Kabi, who looked far from inspiring for most of the evening, nodded in Ahmed Malalla’s cross in added time to cancel out Ibrahima Toure’s stunning long-distance strike for the hosts in the 70th minute.
Nasr had also conceded an injury-time equaliser in their last AGL match, when Fabio Lima scored in the 93rd minute to make it 2-2 for Al Wasl in the Bur Dubai derby, and Jovanovic was fuming about dropping what is now four points.
“It is a disappointing result for us,” said Jovanovic, whose team have only one win from seven AGL matches since the 2-0 loss at Kalba in the 12th round. “We were careless in the closing minutes.
“What’s disappointing is that in the last two matches, against Al Wasl and today, we lost points in injury time and this cannot happen. We have a team that should control the game better.
“You don’t have to be an expert to understand you need to function differently in injury time. Of course, it is not a matter of one player — it’s the way the whole team reacts and plays.
“My players tried a lot in the game and it is sad for them, too, to lose points like we did today. These mistakes ruin the image of the entire match.”
Nasr are also struggling in attack. In their past seven league matches, Nasr have failed to score in three and two other matches have been 1-1 draws.
“We create chances, but what is missing is the last pass, the final touch,” Jovanovic said.
“In the end we managed to score, but could not keep the result for us.”
This was the second consecutive draw for Ajman — they held defending champions Al Ahli 0-0 in their previous match — and Manuel Cajuda was delighted with the spirit his team showed after going down 1-0.
“I know the other team had more time with the ball, but today my team played like the Ajman of old and the result shows their true personality,” Cajuda said. “So I am very pleased because this team looks very different to the one I took over [in January].”
REPORT CARD:
Star Performer: Boris Kabi (Ajman)
The Ivory Coast striker did not have his best game, but his header in the final seconds of regulation time earned an invaluable away point for Ajman
Underperformer: Rafael Crivellaro (Ajman)
One of the foreign players in a struggling team, Crivellaro should be showing a bit more leadership on the pitch, but his performance was disappointingly nondescript
Key Moment
The 90th minute when Kabi’s header carried the ball past Ahmed Shambieh into the nets.
Al Nasr Rating 3/10
Though they hogged possession, the hosts never looked convincing going forward and that problem needs some remedying.
Ajman Rating 3/10
Looked too content playing for a point and got it in the end, but could have got more with some enterprise.
The National’s Verdict
As a team fighting for a position among the top four, Nasr have looked a bit ragged in recent times. Need to lift their performances.
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