The personality of Shabab Al-Ahly made the difference

Shabab Al-Ahly coach, Portuguese Paulo Sousa, confirmed that his team showed a strong personality during the victory over Al-Jazira, the day before yesterday, in the 21st round of the professional league, indicating that the return in the result reflects a high competitive spirit.

He said: “Despite the challenges and absences, the team continued to provide a distinguished offensive performance, stressing that teamwork and daily commitment were the key to excellence and continuing the competition.”

Souza added to “Emirates Today”: “Big matches are decided by details and personality, and this is what I spoke about previously. This team has a lot of personality, because we work daily to develop ourselves, whether as individuals or as a group. We demand a lot from the players, because we want to always be at the level of competition, and achieve victories.”

He continued: “It is true that we lost the lead in some periods of the match, but the most important thing is that we came back and succeeded in winning, and this reflects the team’s mentality. The players showed a great desire to fight until the end, and this is a characteristic of great teams. We believe in what we are doing and trust in our abilities, and this is what makes the difference in such confrontations.”

He explained that “Shabab Al-Ahly was the team closest to achieving a greater result, after creating many chances that would have resulted in a greater victory that could reach three or four goals, especially in light of the clear superiority during long periods of the match, to confirm the team’s ability to deal with big matches, especially in decisive roles that require a strong personality and high concentration.”

Souza said: “This season was not easy at all. We suffered many absences and significant injuries since the first round, and this did not happen in one or two matches, but rather continued for long periods. We also did not always have full rotation options in some positions, but the team dealt with these circumstances as one family, and was able to overcome many challenges.”

He continued: “The players love training and enjoy it every day, and this gives us the motivation to continue working and developing, whether on the technical, tactical or mental level. We also have a group of young players that we are working on developing, and we are proud that we are contributing to preparing them to represent their country’s national teams in the future.”

Souza explained: “Despite all these circumstances, we are the team that scores the most goals in the league, even in the absence of important offensive elements, such as Sardar and the transfer of Mounis Dabour. We may not have a single player who makes a difference alone like some teams, but we have an integrated system capable of scoring and creating opportunities constantly.”

He concluded: “Shabab Al-Ahly has a clear identity, a great personality on the field, and a distinctive way of playing, and this is what always makes us competitors. We are happy with this spirit, and we will continue to work with the same approach to achieve our goals.”

Shabab Al-Ahly’s two goals were scored by Cesar Santos and Renan Victor, while Al-Jazira’s only goal was scored by Nabil Fekir, raising Shabab Al-Ahly’s tally to 52 points, while Al-Jazira’s tally froze at 37 points.