Tokyo - Mohamed Sabe Ahli manager Manuel Jose said that his side lacked the maturity to play in international tournaments following the 4-2 defeat against Pachuca in the Club World Cup on Saturday. The African champions ended the first period two up thanks to an own goal from Pachuca defender Fausto Pinto and Flavio Amado's strike on the stroke of half-time. But Jose's men gave away the precious lead as they conceded twice in the second-half before Pachuca added two more goals in the extra time to seal their spot in the semis. And the Portuguese manager believes Ahli players couldn't handle the pressure. "Despite winning several African titles, we still lack maturity to play in international competitions," Jose told a press conference in Tokyo. "The players couldn't handle the pressure in the second-half and allowed Pachuca to take charge.
"Our biggest mistake was giving away the first goal early after re-start. The rhythm shifted towards them and we couldn't take control of the game." Substitute Luis Montes scored Pachuca's first goal in the 47th minute from an opportunist free-kick and Argentinean striker Christian Gimenez leveled from a free-kick. In extra time, Damian Alvarez put Pachuca ahead for the first time in the game before Gimenez added his second goal of the game and his team's fourth eight minutes from time. Jose gave his opponents credit for the hard-fought victory. "They were stable throughout the game," said Jose, who guided Ahli to three African Champions League titles in the past four years. "Even their substitutes were as effective as starting players. They definitely deserved the triumph." Ahli will play for the fifth place on Thursday with the losers from Japanese club and Asian Champions Gamba Osaka and Australian side Adelaide United.
