Courtesy: The AFC.com


Results not the focus of friendlies says Padu

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Dubai: The UAE should not be reading too much into two recent victories over fellow 2012 AFC Futsal Championship participants Qatar and Tajikistan the head coach of the tournament hosts has stated.

The UAE, who are making their debut in the tournament finals, scored twice in the final two minutes through Abdul Kareem Jameel and Yousuf Al Jawadi to defeat neighbours Qatar 5-3 on Friday before going on to an impressive 4-0 triumph over Tajikistan the following day.

"We had some issues in these matches and we need to resolve and fix these aspects of our game," Padu (Paulo Eduardo De Jesus Pinho) told the Gulf News following Tuesday's training session at the Sharjah Youth Centre.

"The players are aware that they should not be looking too much into these friendly wins, as friendly matches are played so that the team can get better."

The UAE begin their campaign on Friday against Turkmenistan following the tournament's opening ceremony and Padu is under no illusions about the significance of getting off to a positive start at the Al Wasl Stadium.

"The first match [against Turkmenistan] will be the most important one for the UAE. We will have to go all out for a win and anything short of a win will make our work harder."




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com