The echoes of Al-Zawraa Club's exit from the AFC Champions League continued at the round of 16 stage, after the 'Nawras' lost to the UAE's Al-Wasl 4-2 in the return match held at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai, leaving the tournament amid technical controversy over the reasons for the exclusion.

Former Al-Zawraa star Haider Mahmoud launched a technical attack on the coaching staff, asserting that everyone is responsible for the loss, led by the Egyptian coach Emad El-Nahhas.

Mahmoud stated that the coaching staff, led by El-Nahhas, bears the responsibility for the 'Nawras' loss, pointing out that decisive decisions fall within the coach's authority, and thus the primary technical responsibility returns to him.

He added that the players also bear a significant part of the responsibility, especially with the individual mistakes that occurred during the match and contributed to reversing the result.

He explained that some players did not perform at the usual level, despite the team creating dangerous opportunities and being close to scoring on several occasions, but the lack of focus and poor finishing denied Al-Zawraa a comeback in the match.

He pointed out that the advantage the team gained after winning the first leg in Baghdad should have been better utilized, emphasizing that the fans were expecting a more mature and experienced performance in a crucial match of this magnitude.

He clarified that defensive errors, whether in positioning or in reading balls inside the penalty area, cost the team significantly, indicating that the loss was not the responsibility of a single player, but rather the result of accumulated collective errors throughout the match.

Mahmoud confirmed that Al-Zawraa has elements capable of making a difference, but it failed to optimally utilize its capabilities, necessitating a comprehensive review for the upcoming stage.

He called on coach Emad El-Nahhas to reassess his technical strategies, considering that the management of the match did not meet expectations, and the tactical decisions were not successful in critical moments of the encounter.

He concluded by emphasizing the need to quickly close the chapter on the Asian championship and focus on the Iraq Stars League, warning that continued negative results might push the management to make new reform decisions, especially since the team currently occupies sixth place with 31 points from 16 matches, with two postponed matches against Al-Shorta and Amana Baghdad.