Hamad Al-Yami recovers... and participates in part of Al-Hilal’s training

Al-Nasr is looking to compensate for its harsh loss at the beginning of its campaign in the AFC Champions League for the elite, when it welcomes its counterpart, Neftchi, Uzbekistan, on Monday, at Al-Awal Park Stadium in the capital, Riyadh, in the second round of the Al-Gharb region competitions, while Al-Ahly seeks to achieve its first victory when it visits Al-Wasl of the Emirates in Dubai, and Al-Qadisiyah is looking to continue its ideal start when it faces Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

Al-Nasr enters the confrontation under the pressure of compensation, after suffering a heavy loss against Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates by four goals to no return in the opening round, to find itself in last place, in a start that was not up to expectations, especially in light of the great technical capabilities that the team possesses.

The Al-Asmi team hopes that facing Neftchi will be an opportunity to correct the course and restore balance, benefiting from its return to local competitions with a victory over Al-Diriyah with three goals to none, in the eighth round of the Saudi Professional League, in a result that gave it a moral boost before resuming its continental career.

Al-Nasr is counting on the capabilities of its Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, in addition to the offensive elements that the team possesses, in order to overcome the effects of Al-Ain’s loss and prove that the opening stumble was nothing but a setback.

On the other hand, Uzbekistan's Neftchi comes to Riyadh in high spirits, after beginning its continental participation by defeating Iraqi Air Force Club 1-0, earning the first three points in its journey, and looking forward to achieving a new positive result against one of the most prominent Saudi clubs.

The confrontation carries double importance for Al-Nasr, which realizes that any new loss will make its task more difficult in the competition, while the Uzbek team seeks to capitalize on its successful start and strengthen its points tally.

In Dubai, Al-Ahly, the holders of the championship title in the last two seasons, will be a guest against Al-Wasl of the Emirates at Zabeel Stadium, in a confrontation during which the Saudi team is searching for its first victory, after being content with a 1-1 draw against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in the last round.

Al-Ahly enters the match in high spirits after its impressive victory over Al-Fateh with four goals to none in the Saudi League, a result that returned the team to the path of victories after the pause, and gave it a morale boost before returning to continental competitions.

Al-Ahly was close to losing its opening match against Pakhtakor, after falling behind to a goal scored by Flammarion in the 86th minute, before Firas Al-Braikan saved it with an equalizer during stoppage time, leaving the team with one point that placed it in seventh place in the Western Region standings.

Al-Ahly hopes to appear better against Al-Wasl, and to translate its technical superiority into a victory that enhances its chances in the competition, especially as the team looks forward to continuing its successful continental career and defending its title.

As for Al-Wasl, it enters the match looking to compensate for its loss to Al-Qadisiyah of Saudi Arabia with a score of 2-1 in the opening round, after conceding two goals before Leandro Spadacio reduced the difference in stoppage time.

The Emirati team is counting on the ground staff and the audience to overcome its first stumble, and avoid a second loss in a row, in a confrontation that seems important to both parties in light of their need to achieve victory.

In the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, Al-Qadisiyah faces a new test when it visits Pakhtakor at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium, looking to achieve its second victory in a row, after launching its first participation in the tournament with a victory over Al-Wasl of the Emirates with two goals to one.

Al-Qadisiyah, led by its Northern Irish coach, Brendan Rodgers, presented a distinguished performance in the opening round, after imposing control over the course of the confrontation and leading with two goals, before conceding a late goal that did not prevent it from getting the three points.

The team coming from Al-Khobar is looking forward to building on its successful start, despite the difficulty of the task against a competitor who showed good technical abilities in their first match, in addition to holding the match outside the ground.

On the other hand, Pakhtakor enters the confrontation with one point, after tying with Al-Ahly in Jeddah with a goal for each team, in a match that was close to being decided in their favor, before conceding the equalizer during stoppage time.

The Uzbek team hopes to capitalize on the performance it presented against the defending champion, in addition to the advantage of playing at home, to achieve its first victory in the tournament, while Al-Qadisiyah seeks to return with the three points and confirm its strong start in the Asian competitions.

The final minutes of the 3-2 confrontation between Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, in the eighth round of the Saudi Professional League, carried with it many questions about the remarkable retreat of the Italian coach Simone Inzaghi’s squad from progressing in the score, despite the international names and the enormous potential they possess.

In the “Kingdom Arena” in the capital, Riyadh, Al Hilal seemed able to impose its rhythm and resolve the confrontation against Al-Ittihad, after Gabriel Martinelli scored the first goal in the 11th minute, then Ollie Watkins restored the lead for Al-Hilal with a second goal in the 30th minute, before Crescencio Summerville added the third goal in the 64th minute, but the final minutes brought Al-Ittihad back into the atmosphere of the match, after Steven Bergwijn reduced the difference from a penalty kick in the 89th minute, and the moments turned into The conclusion is a new test for the nerves of the Crescents.

It is true that Al Hilal came away with the three points, and dealt a blow to Al-Ittihad's unbeaten record, but the way the confrontation ended raised questions about the team's ability to manage its superiority, especially when it approaches deciding the match and finds itself forced to defend the result instead of continuing to impose its offensive personality.

The conversation here is not merely about receiving a late goal; Football does not give any team guarantees until the end, but rather it is linked to how Al Hilal deals with its progress, and the extent of its ability to maintain control, and prevent the competitor from regaining confidence and entering again into the calculations of the match.

The irony is that Al-Hilal possesses offensive tools capable of keeping the opponent away from its goal, and this was evident through the three goals it scored against Al-Ittihad, in addition to the opportunities it had during the match, but the problem begins when the team’s offensive presence declines, or it loses its ability to keep the ball in the opponent’s areas, so it finds itself facing mounting pressure, and gives the competitor an opportunity to move forward and venture in search of a comeback.

Here Inzaghi's responsibility appears in managing the minutes that follow an advance in the score, and not just in building attacks and choosing the starting lineup. A team that wants to compete for titles needs to have more than one way to end matches; It is not enough for him to score and let the result speak for him. Rather, he must know when to press, when to keep the ball, and how to close spaces without giving up the threat to the opponent’s goal. Even when it is the best team offensively, there is still responsibility for dealing with defensive shifts, for maintaining focus in the final minutes, and for avoiding giving the opponent new hope when the match seems close to being decided.

This does not mean that every retreat in the last minutes is evidence of a technical defect, or that Al Hilal is required to continue the attack at the same pace throughout the 90 minutes, as the competitor may increase the degree of pressure on it, and the result may impose different decisions, but the difference lies in that the retreat is an organized and deliberate choice, not a state of confusion that makes the team a prisoner of the competitor’s pressure.

Hence, Inzaghi must strive strongly to address this part by training his players on progression scenarios, improving ball retention under pressure, adjusting the distances between the team’s lines, and choosing substitutions that maintain balance without emptying the offensive system of its influential elements, so that the scene of losing control of the match in which the team advances is not repeated. Which may lead to a loss of points in this way in which Al Hilal retreats after advancing in the score, which has accompanied the leader since last season in many matches since the Italian coach took the technical helm in Blue Capital.