Irish coach Brendan Rodgers, Al-Qadisiyah coach, said that the start in the match against Al-Ettifaq was very ideal, but “we declined in performance, and the weather was affecting.” “So we must take advantage of what happened to us.”
The coach continued his speech in the press conference: “I think that there is a beautiful goal for Al-Ettifaq (Maidran’s goal) that we must point out, and that it was one of the most beautiful goals. There were also defensive errors in our team and weak coverage. “So we must take advantage.”
Regarding the repetition of the scenario of the Al-Ahly match against Al-Ettifaq, Rodgers explained: “I do not think that the scenario was repeated, but the circumstances are similar. Today there was a physical impact after the effort of the Al-Ahly match, and there was an effort to calm the situation after the two goals and take control of the match, but the opponent sought and fought, and we had mistakes in the goals we received, and we must learn.”
In turn, Australian Arthur Pappas, Al-Ettifaq coach, said: “I salute my players because they returned to the match and did not give up, and the goal that came after the pause in the first half had an impact in restoring confidence and returning to the match.”
Regarding whether this tie was considered a gain compared to the circumstances of the match, Pappas said: “Any point separates us. We are happy with the spirit, not the result, and every match in which we want to win, even if it is against a strong and capable team like Al-Qadisiyah. We also want to be the team that rejoices in a win and not a draw, and we want to cultivate a culture that makes us look at every match as 3 points.”
German Jens Fennig, Al-Ittihad coach, expressed his happiness with his team’s victory over Al-Faisaly and its advancement in the Saudi League standings, stressing that the tactical discipline of the players was one of the most prominent gains of the confrontation.
Jens Fennig said in the press conference after the match: “We achieved a well-deserved victory, and I am certainly happy with the victory and advancement in the rankings, and at the same time I feel sad that we conceded a goal, but the most important thing in the end is the win and the three points.”
He added: “Today the players were at a high level of discipline and tactical application, and we are working on rotating players from one match to another due to the pressure of the matches and the multiple entitlements that we face.”
The Al-Ittihad coach indicated his satisfaction with the path his team has taken during the recent period, saying: “I am happy with what the team is offering, especially since we did not lose in the previous rounds of the league and also in the King’s Cup competition.”
Jens Fennig concluded his speech by stressing that the federation is still in a development stage, and said: “We are still developing, and we are constantly focusing on improving the technical and mental aspects of the team.”
“Al-Ittihad” continued its wonderful performances in the Saudi Professional League, and snatched a new victory, which came, this time, at the expense of its host “Al-Faisaly” by a score of 3-1, in the seventh round of the tournament.
“Al-Ittihad” temporarily rose to the top of the standings, raising its score to 17 points, one point ahead of “Al-Qadisiyah,” which is in second place, and two points behind “Al-Hilal,” which is in third place, and which will play with “Al-Taawoun,” within the competitions of the same round.
“Al-Nasr”, the title holder last season, also occupies fourth place with 15 points, far behind “Al-Hilal” on goal difference, and plays, on Saturday, with “Al-Khaleej”.
On the other hand, “Al-Faisaly’s” balance froze at 3 points in seventeenth place (penultimate).
Al-Ittihad took the lead through Steven Bergwijn in the 28th minute, then his colleague Youssef En-Nesyri added the second goal in the 43rd minute.
In the 59th minute, Al-Nusairi returned to score his second goal and the third for Al-Ittihad, while Al-Faisaly scored his only goal through Theo Bongonda in the 87th minute.
