Vissing: The long pause affected Al-Ittihad... and early mistakes cost us a loss

Frenchman Christophe Galtier, coach of the NEOM team, expressed his satisfaction with the result achieved by his team against the Yemeni people of Hadhramaut, at the opening of its campaign in the Gulf Champions League competitions for clubs, stressing the importance of achieving victory at the beginning of the external participation, especially in light of the presence of 3 other teams in the group, and the pressure of the matches that imposes on the technical staff to use the largest possible number of players.

Galtier said, during the press conference after the match, that he was very satisfied with the result, explaining that the technical staff made several changes to the starting lineup due to the pressure of the matches, and yet the team played a good match.

The French coach pointed out that scoring two early goals contributed to facilitating his team's task, and gave him the advantage in controlling and possessing the ball during different periods of the confrontation.

In his response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the participation of a number of players who did not participate regularly in the Saudi Professional League, and the possibility of adopting a rotation policy during the Gulf Champions League club competitions, Galtier confirmed that the technical staff will give the opportunity to the largest possible number of elements.

He explained that the pressure of matches, in addition to the tournament regulations that allow each team to register 35 players, gives the technical staff space to take advantage of its human options and distribute playing minutes among the players, which helps in dealing with the requirements of the competition.

Galtier touched on the absence of two important players from the starting lineup, Alaa Al Hajji and Amadou Kone, due to injury, stressing his confidence in the rest of the team and their ability to provide the required addition.

He added that the players perform at exceptional levels during the training sessions, noting that the technical staff is awaiting the return of the injured duo, while continuing to have confidence in all the midfield players and the rest of the team’s positions.

The French coach stressed the importance of taking advantage of the depth of the squad during the Gulf Championship, in light of the crowded match schedule, and striving to maintain the players’ readiness and continue competing on more than one front.

Shabab Al-Ahly of the Emirates continued its successful start in the AFC Champions League for Elite Football, achieving its second victory in a row, as it defeated its host Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Tuesday, in the second round of the Al-Gharb Group matches in the league stage.

Shabab Al-Ahly owes great credit for the victory to its player, Sardar Azmoun, who scored two early goals, before Al-Ittihad responded with a goal in the second half, scored by Colombian Richard Rios.

Shabab Al-Ahly, which won in the first round 1-0 over Iranian Traktor, raised its score to 6 points, on par with Al-Ain of the Emirates, Esteghlal of Tehran and Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia.

While Al-Ittihad’s score froze at one point, which it gained in a 1-1 draw in the first round with Qatar’s Al-Shamal.

Shabab Al-Ahly made a strong start in the match at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, and opened the scoring when Guilherme Balla made a brilliant run on the left side and dribbled past the defense inside the penalty area, then passed a cross to the unmarked Azmoun, who put the ball into the net.

Play was stopped in the 15th minute due to Bala's injury, and Reza Ghandipour took his place.

Seconds later, Azmoun increased the UAE team's lead following a quick counter-attack, as he received a long pass from Gendi Pour, then raced past the goalkeeper and shot the ball into the goal.

Al-Ittihad then intensified its pressure and created a number of chances during the first half, but the lack of accuracy in the final touch and the brilliance of Matthews Donnelly, Shabab Al-Ahly goalkeeper, prevented the goal from scoring.

The two teams continued to exchange offensive attempts in the second half until Al-Ittihad succeeded in scoring in the 66th minute through Reus, who shot a powerful ball from the edge of the penalty area into the net at a tight angle.