AFC Champions League Elite
Saeid Ezatolahi’s first half header earned the UAE side victory as they moved up to four points while Saudi Arabian champions Al Ittihad were left reeling after suffering their second successive defeat.
#ACLElite | Al Ittihad Club (KSA) 0-1 Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)
Sousa said Shabab produced an outstanding performance, expressing pride with how his team have started their campaign.
“I am proud of the players' performance. The team spirit that has been building since last season was evident. The most important thing was the players' understanding of the technical strategy.
“This was an extraordinary and unusual day, a match between two league champions, so we are proud of the team,” said Sousa.
“I am proud of the players' performance. The team spirit that has been building since last season was evident. The most important thing was the players' understanding of the technical strategy.
“This was an extraordinary and unusual day, a match between two league champions, so we are proud of the team,” said Sousa.
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“I am proud that we are competing strongly in Asia and proud of the mentality of the players.
“We completely controlled the first half but I have to admit that in the second half, we declined physically, which allowed Al Ittihad to advance. We could have, however, still doubled the score but we wasted many opportunities."
“We completely controlled the first half but I have to admit that in the second half, we declined physically, which allowed Al Ittihad to advance. We could have, however, still doubled the score but we wasted many opportunities."
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Al Ittihad head coach Hassan Khalifa, in his first match in charge after replacing Laurent Blanc, felt his side deserved something from the tie after showing improvement in the second half.
“We tried and made many substitutions to turn the result around, but luck was not on our side. In the first half, we played slow football but in the second half, we were better, and the substitutes were combative and played with ferocity,” said Khalifa.
“We tried and made many substitutions to turn the result around, but luck was not on our side. In the first half, we played slow football but in the second half, we were better, and the substitutes were combative and played with ferocity,” said Khalifa.
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“Most of our substitutions were offensive. We brought on Ahmed Al Ghamdi at right-back to increase effectiveness. Moussa Diaby was unsuccessful on the right wing, so we used Roger there and moved Diaby to the left, both of whom are right-footed. The substitution worked well, but it wasn't entirely successful.
“Ittihad are a champion team, and we're still at the beginning of the season. We have a break, and we'll work during it to come back better.”
Al Ittihad will resume their campaign against Iraq’s Al Shorta on October 21 while Shabab Al Ahli will host Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf.
“Ittihad are a champion team, and we're still at the beginning of the season. We have a break, and we'll work during it to come back better.”
Al Ittihad will resume their campaign against Iraq’s Al Shorta on October 21 while Shabab Al Ahli will host Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf.
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