"It was a very difficult match, and we knew that we would do our best to win against a very strong opponent like Al Ain,” said Jesus. 

"We made a huge effort on the technical level, as well as the physical and psychological levels, in a match between two teams with high quality and efficiency.”

Captain Salem Al Dawsari netted a stunning hat-trick with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Renan Lodin scoring one each while two-time AFC Champions League winners Al Ain replied through Soufiane Rahime’s hat-trick and Mateo Sanabria at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. 

"We achieved a difficult victory against Al Ain, who have a very strong team. We congratulate the Al Hilal fans on the victory. We have to enjoy this victory and then we have to improve in some aspects.

"I took (Kalidou) Koulibaly out to protect him from being sent off, but after he left we lost balance in terms of defensive depth, but in the end we were able to win thanks to our offensive quality.”

Defeat left Hernan Crespo’s side with only a point to show but the Argentinian tactician expressed pride in his team’s performance.

"The match was amazing, and everyone who watched this match will feel that. I am very proud of my team's performance, because it is not easy to play against a team that is considered, in my opinion, the best team in Asia,” said Crespo.

"We played against a team with great talent who have excellent players but at the same time, we performed at a great level, fought all the time and created many opportunities and scored goals.

"It is true that we conceded several goals, but this is football, as Al Ain play in an offensive style, and therefore it is normal for us to concede goals because we play this way.”

Crespo remained optimistic of Al Ain’s knockout stage chances.

"I am 100 percent confident in our ability to qualify, and I will maintain my confidence until the end, as we still have five matches in which we can get many points, and as long as we continue to play this way, we will collect points.

"Soufiane Rahimi deserves what he is achieving, he is a hard-working player, and I am proud of him, and we must continue to support him.”