Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya's coach Rashid Jaber revealed the reasons behind his smile and laughter that were captured by television screens after the fourth goal was scored against his team by Al-Ain in the match that ended in a heavy defeat for the Falcons, with a score of 4-1, at the Basra International Stadium in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Clarifications were made to calm the angry sports community after the lackluster performance that Iraq's champion, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, delivered in their home ground at "Jidhr Al-Nakhlah". This result left Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya with no points, sitting in sixteenth and last place in the Western Group standings, while Al-Ain topped the table with 6 points.
Rachid Jaber said: "It is realistic to say that we lost the match's bet during the first quarter of an hour only, and this is due to a complete lack of focus and the players falling into simple mistakes that cost us the final result. However, the team's players deserve credit for their serious attempts to come back during the second half, where we had a missed penalty and a clear chance on goal, in addition to scoring a goal that was disallowed. In the end, we must acknowledge that there is a clear difference in abilities and capabilities, as the opponent has an arsenal of high-caliber players and was outstanding throughout the ninety minutes."
He added: "This match is now in the past and we have completely turned the page on it. Football is based on winning and losing regardless of the numbers and the size of the result. We were the better side tactically in the second half of the match, and the substitutions we made made the necessary technical difference. We will work on building on the positive aspects that appeared in this half, but we also need more training, effort, and time. We have strong tests ahead of us that require us to be fully prepared and to learn from the lesson of facing Al-Ain to avoid repeating these mistakes."
He explained the reason behind his laughter that sparked controversy on social media: "I laughed at that moment because I never expected a series of basic and silly mistakes to occur in a match of this significant Asian level. Generally, such incidents happen in the world of football, and we are currently working to rearrange our plans and regroup to open a new chapter for the upcoming match in the Iraq Stars League. On the continental level, we will certainly be ready for the next challenge, and we have great faith in our chances of qualifying until the very end."
