Why did the “Asian” victory over Al Sadd represent great value for Hilal Inzaghi?

Al Hilal’s victory over Al Sadd of Qatar in the “AFC Elite Champions League” represented a big step for the Saudi team after raising its score to 6 points from two consecutive victories, confirming its positive start in the continental competition.

For Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, the value of this victory is not limited to the result, but extends beyond that to the way his team managed the match away from home. A team that aspires to compete for the continental title needs the ability to impose its style, but it also needs to know when to resolve the confrontation with the least possible physical and mental cost.

In Doha, Al Hilal accomplished the task with minimal effort, especially after playing a strong match last Saturday against Al-Ittihad in the “Saudi Clasico,” benefiting from its effectiveness in front of goal and its discipline in managing the advantage when what matters is not always the amount of effort expended, but rather the team’s ability to convert its advantage into a clear victory with the least amount of complexity.

Al-Hilal did not perform as expected in the first half, as there was slowness in preparing the attack and spacing in the lines, but it was able to seize the lead goal and succeeded in keeping its net clean.

In the second half, the situation was different, as it seemed clear that the team was seeking to resolve the match after improving its position in the attacking third. He had a number of opportunities to score, but they were wasted, before the team won a penalty kick in the 65th minute, through which Portuguese Ruben Neves was able to add the second goal for Al Hilal.

After advancing by two goals, Blue Capital took control of the course of the match, and became in control of it, amid defensive discipline that prevented the Qatari Al-Sadd players from posing any significant threat, which was also exploited by the Italian Inzaghi after his team advanced by two goals, by involving a number of substitute players, and giving them the opportunity to play several minutes, such as the duo Sabri Dahl and Murad Hawsawi, next to the Frenchman Mohamed Kader Mete, so the confrontation continued as it was until the final whistle, which declared Al-Hilal’s victory with a score of 2-0, And he scored 3 valuable points outside his homeland.

With this victory, Blue Capital was able to achieve its 10th victory out of 11 matches it played this season so far, as it suffered one loss, which was against NEOM in the “Saudi Professional League”, while it was victorious in 7 matches it played in the same competition so far. It also won the two matches it played in the “AFC Elite Champions League”, and against Al-Raed in the 32nd round of the “King Cup”.

Al-Hilal will have a 5-day break from the matches, as its next match against Al-Hazm will be on October 19th in the 10th round of the Saudi Professional League, after the amendment made by the “Saudi Professional League Association” to the date of the team’s confrontation against Riyadh, which was scheduled to be held next Friday, to be played on December 19th. For logistical calculations, take into account the minimum rest periods between matches.