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Inzaghi sets Al Hilal perfect target

Inzaghi sets Al Hilal perfect target

Riyadh: Simone Inzaghi will not allow his Al Hilal SFC side to rest on their laurels despite securing their fifth straight continental  AFC Champions League Elite™ knockout stage berth with three matches to spare on Tuesday.
The 4-0 success over Iraq’s Al Shorta saw Al Hilal keep their perfect run intact and the 49-year-old is determined to extend their winning momentum until the end of the league stage, with top spot the Italian’s target.
#ACLElite | Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 4-0 Al Shorta (IRQ)

#ACLElite | Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 4-0 Al Shorta (IRQ)

“Today's match was good, and I commend the players,” said Inzaghi. “I'm happy with the performance of both the starters and the substitutes. The most important thing is that we continue working hard, and we have an important match on Saturday.

“After the fifth match, there's a clear gap in the standings between the teams that have already qualified and the rest. Now we have three more league stage matches ahead of us, and we're striving to finish in first place.”
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Despite keeping a majority of his star players on the bench, Inzaghi’s side still proved too strong for Al Shorta as Marcos Leonardo netted a brace with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo also getting on the scoresheet.
Defeat did not mean the door is shut on Al Shorta but the window of opportunity is fast closing with head coach Moamen Soliman admitting that absences robbed the Iraq side a chance of competing.

 

“We know the value of our opponents,” said Soliman. “Al Hilal are a great team, and we played a good first half and tried our best, but the team collapsed after the red card (for Ahmed Yahia) and the second goal.
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“I can't blame any team that faces Al Hilal. Al Hilal could play in the English Premier League.
Saudi Arabia wants the Saudi League to become the biggest in the region, and they're making good progress towards achieving this target. 

 

“We had six players missing today and it hurt us. If Al Hilal have absences, they still have a strong second squad but we couldn’t cope.”

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