Trossero “thrilled” with Shabab success
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AFC – ESFAHAN, Al Shabab coach Enzo Trossero was thrilled to see his side qualify for the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a 1-0 win over Group D winners Zob Ahan. Fisal Bin Sultan scored the only goal of the game at Foolad Shahr as both sides progressed to the next round.
The goal came after 57 minutes when Bin Sultan received the ball in the penalty area with his back to goal before turning and firing home.
Trossero said: “This is my third time in here, I’d like to thank all fans who came to the stadium and made a very good sporting environment for the match.
“It’s a good victory for us and what makes me absolutely thrilled is that one Saudi Arabian team has defeated a very strong Iranian team and the win has led us to the next stage.
“Zob Ahan is a very good team; they have four or five national players. They have been playing with each other for the past few years and that’s produced a good harmony amongst them. They even deserve to win the title this year.
“I’d like to thank my good friend Mansour Ebrahimzadeh, the head coach of Zob Ahan, because his team always plays good football.
“In the first-leg match in Saudi Arabia I didn’t have eight main payers and in this game he was without three key players.
“I knew they wouldn’t have their first squad against us and I based team planning and tactics based on this fact.”
Opposite number Ebrahimzadeh was also satisfied with his players’ performance.
“Considering that we didn’t have three of our players, we played fairly well,” he said.
“We had good chances, but Al Shabab were the better side in the second-half and unfortunately they scored the goal they wanted.
“However, I am happy that my young players had enough spirit for the game, although they lost.
“They players were really cautious about yellow cards not to be suspended from the next match in the round of 16 so that’s why they didn’t play a very tough match.
“My players were all really exhausted from the league matches and this fact affected their performance tonight.
“The friendship between me and Hector (Trosssero) is due to football. I have been friends with Hector since last year when I asked him to bring one of their professional players to the pre-match press conference. He was actually surprised that how well I knew his team and from then on we have been good friends.
