Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has hailed the 1-0 win over Al-Shabab as a 'good exercise' for his side in the heat of Dubai. The Black Cats boss admits he wasn't overly concerned about the result, but was pleased with the application shown by his squad.
Amad Diallo's goal proved to be the difference between the two sides in a game which became feisty in the second half, with both sides fully committed. And while Mowbray admitted it was the right thing to make some late subs to take the heat out of the game, he was not unhappy to see his players play at such a high tempo.
The game came at the end of a week of warm weather training in Dubai, with the effects of the sun taking their toll on the Sunderland players. But Mowbray was pleased to see how his side had coped with the conditions all week.
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"It was a good exercise for us, played at a real match tempo," said the Black Cats boss. "From pretty early on there was a few meaty tackles and both teams stood their ground, so for a friendly it was a decent football match and became a really competitive-edged game.
"It probably went a little bit on from where it should have done late on, but we agreed we should make a few substitutions and it calmed the game down and finished the match off. We got plenty out of it, it was good.
"It wasn't about us winning a friendly match against a team from Saudi Arabia, it was about getting the best out of the week. They trained really hard, twice a day in the sun - 30-odd degrees. You feel tired when you wake up every day, your body is aching, but they applied themselves really well.
"And the fact the game became ultra competitive was good for the team because we had to play on the front foot. We were aggressive and they were aggressive and it was a good football match."
Sunderland are back in action next Saturday, December 3, when they take on Millwall at the Stadium of Light, kick-off 12.30pm.
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