Al Duhail First Football Team Head Coach Djamel Belmadi stated in the post match press conference against Al Ahli in the AFC Champions League Elite that his team was closer to victory as they were more dangerous and created more goal-scoring opportunities throughout both halves, especially in the second half.
Belmadi began his statements by saying: “We delivered a strong performance against the Asian champions, and I believe we deserved to collect more points from today’s match compared to what we showed tonight. I’m happy with our performance; we had almost 70% possession of the ball. We had some unfortunate moments in the first half, specifically when we conceded two goals, starting with the injury to our goalkeeper and then conceding the two goals. I think one of them was a kind of ‘gift’ from us to Al Ahli, but in the end, I take full responsibility. However, the moment our goalkeeper Desmas left the field was certainly impactful on the match result.”
Djamel Belmadi continued his comments: “I liked the team positive reaction in the second half, but we are not happy with the draw considering our superiority in terms of chances and attempts. We weren’t able to convert the opportunities we had into goals. But ultimately, I am satisfied with the team overall display, only unhappy with the result.”
Belmadi concluded his remarks by stating: “Throughout my fifteen-year coaching career so far, I have never encountered this level of bad luck with the number of injuries the players are getting. Of course, we missed many international players, and that has affected the team results. We deserved to get at least a point from Riyadh match versus Al Hilal, and we have also lost many points in both the domestic league and the Asian tournament. If we compare these lost points to the team performance and the level we are playing at, it makes us sad. However, (Praise be to Allah), I am happy with what we have achieved despite the shortage we face due to absences. I hope to have a full squad in the future so we can achieve better results than we had so far.
