We achieved outstanding numbers against Dibba: 20 shots and high possession

Shabab Al-Ahly coach, Portuguese Paulo Manuel de Sousa, confirmed that his team’s victory over Dibba (4-0), in the 20th round of the Professional League, yesterday, was the result of the tactical discipline and high physical fitness of the players.

Souza expressed his happiness with the result, pointing out during the press conference after the match that the victory raised the team’s score to 49 points in the standings, stressing that the team achieved distinguished numbers during the match, including executing about 20 shots, in addition to a high possession rate.

He explained that the team did not perform at the required level in the first half, before it succeeded in scoring its goals during the second half.

Souza said: “We focused on exploiting opportunities and enhancing harmony between the team’s lines, which contributed to imposing control over the course of the match. The technical staff also appreciates the great commitment and high team spirit, which was clearly reflected in the players’ performance on the field.”

Fasting and absences

For his part, Dibba’s coach, Romanian Marius Panite, attributed the loss to several factors, including absences and the impact of a number of players coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan.

He said: “The result reflects the decline in physical fitness among some players, in addition to the effect of fasting on physical and technical performance, as the team played the match with only three foreign players, two of whom were not fasting.”

Panayet praised the efforts of his players, stressing that “despite the result, there is great commitment and a high fighting spirit from everyone, which gives positive indicators for the coming period.”

He stressed that he will carefully study the causes of the loss to address them in the upcoming training sessions, with a focus on restoring the technical and physical level, and enhancing readiness in proportion to the challenges of the fasting period, in an effort to achieve better results in the upcoming matches.