Moroccan Jamal Al-Salami, Al-Fateh coach, expressed his dissatisfaction with the heavy loss that his team suffered against Al-Ahly, stressing that the result was unacceptable to him, in light of the mistakes committed by the players, and the lack of concentration in various lines, during the team’s first match under his leadership.
Al-Salami said, in response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question at the press conference, that the team did not perform at the level hoped for, indicating that the defect extended to all lines, and that correcting the course requires great work on the technical and mental levels.
He added: “The situation was inappropriate on all lines, and we need great work to overcome this result.” “I asked the players, first of all, to go into the match with a fighting spirit, but we missed many things.”
The Al-Fateh coach admitted that defensive errors and loss of concentration contributed to receiving this number of goals, explaining that the team was able to avoid many of the errors that cost them goals. He also indicated that the opportunity his team had in the first half was enough to adjust the result, and perhaps change the course of the confrontation.
Al-Salami said: “Our team was not really focused. We received 4 goals and a similar number of warnings, most of which could have been avoided, and we did not have enough human options from the players to change the situation of the match.”
Irishman Brendan Rodgers, coach of Al-Qadisiyah, expressed his happiness with the level of his team’s performance against Al-Khuloud, following the massive 5-0 victory, stressing that the spirit and desire shown by the players reflected the extent of the development that the team witnessed during the last period.
Rodgers said in the press conference after the match: “What pleased me today was the hunger that the team showed for eternity. Since my arrival here, I have seen great development, and we have reached a final, and I love to watch my team play like this.”
The Al-Qadisiyah coach indicated that his team made an excellent start despite the climatic conditions, explaining that the improved weather gives the players an advantage in terms of speed and performance, but at the same time he stressed that the team is still in the construction phase, and that the road ahead is long in light of the multiple competitions and successive matches.
In his response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the advice he gives to Musab Al-Jawir, after he was excluded from the Saudi national team’s camp in Jeddah during the “Gulf 27” tournament, Rodgers praised Al-Jawir’s capabilities, stressing that his role is not limited to the technical side on the field.
He said: “Musab is a great talent and has great potential, but like any young player, he may make mistakes. My role as a coach is to help the players on and off the field, and today he gave an exceptional performance, and I expect him to learn from what happened.”
Al-Ahly scored 4-0 against its host Al-Fateh, in the match that brought them together in the eighth round of the Saudi Professional League.
Al-Ahly raised its score to 15 points in fifth place, while Al-Fateh’s score froze at 3 points in seventeenth place (penultimate).
Al-Ahly took the lead through Francisco Trincao in the 31st minute, and the same player returned to score the second goal in the 50th minute.
In the 60th minute, Ivan Toni scored the third goal for Al-Ahly, while his colleague Ziad Al-Juhani completed the quadruple in the 89th minute.
