Al Duhail Head Coach Christophe Galtier described the team’s friendly match versus Zenit St. Petersburg this evening as difficult. He said in a statement after the match: “We had a tough match today versus Zenit, one of the best Russian clubs and a regular in the UEFA Champions League. It was a good experience for our players, especially the young ones we played. My team tried to perform well, but it was difficult for us physically and technically, especially in the second half. We made a lot of mistakes, but it’s good that such mistakes occured in a friendly and not a league match so we can correct them. It was also an opportunity for us to see our physical and technical progress under the constant training we are doing.”

The coach added: “Our signing of defender Verissimo was a target for us because he is a good defender and will be an addition to the team. As for player Edmilson da Silva, he suffered an injury that kept him off the field for a long time and tried to return, but he felt pain in the area of the injury, so we decided that he should continue to rest and undergo rehabilitation training for the coming period until he recovers completely.