Koulibaly credits Inzaghi for win; Shabab Al Ahli’s creativity thrills coach Sousa

Kalidou Koulibaly has credited head coach Simone Inzaghi for instilling renewed belief in the squad after Al Hilal maintained their perfect start to the AFC Champions League Elite with a 3-1 win over Qatar’s Al Sadd SC on Tuesday.

Senegalese Koulibaly, who has rediscovered his form under Inzaghi, played an instrumental role at Kingdom Arena and praised the Italian tactician’s influence since his arrival.

“In the Club World Cup, Inzaghi arrived and gave us confidence, especially as we were trying to perform well,” said Koulibaly. The head coach has known me since my Napoli days, and I have been trying to perform at my best since the beginning of the season for the fans.

“The match was difficult but we prepared well to score two goals without much difficulty. Even though our level dropped in the second half, we were the better team until the end.”

Inzaghi praised Al Hilal’s tactical discipline in a match which reinforced Al Hilal’s status as one of the favourites to go all the way.

“The match was very good overall. The first half was excellent and we came out with the win and are top of the table,” said Inzaghi.” We decided to rest Malcom today, but he’ll be ready for the next match against Al Ittihad (in the Saudi Pro League).”

“I don’t think Salem Al Dawsari will be ready for the next match. He was injured while playing for the national team, and we are now trying to do everything we can to ensure his return from injury.”

Despite suffering defeat after opening with two draws, head coach Sergio Alegre found positives in Al Sadd’s second half improvement.

“Al Hilal dominated the game and we had two chances from set-pieces but in the second half we were better and created more chances,” said Alegre. “We have two points from three matches and have great opportunities in the upcoming matches. There are still 15 points to play for.

“We are responsible for the goals from set-pieces. I can’t blame the players because Al Hilal’s skills from set-pieces are high, which is why they scored three goals, and they could have scored more.”

Al Sadd will have their work cut out for them when they take on defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC on Nov. 3, with Al Hilal facing Qatar’s Al Gharafa.

Sousa proud of his players: Shabab Al Ahli highlighted their AFC Champions League Elite credentials with a dominant 4-1 win over PFC Nasaf on Tuesday, leaving head coach Paulo Sousa beaming with pride.

The UAE side led from start to finish as Sousa saw his team run rings around the Uzbekistan champions, producing 21 shots with four different players getting on the scoresheet.

“I always say in press conferences that I’m proud of the players,” said Sousa. “On the pitch, they created numerous opportunities and had numerous attempts on the opposing team’s goal.

“Any challenges we face as a team, or those caused by our opponents, we work together to overcome them.

“The fighting spirit we witnessed from all the players was fantastic. Even those who didn’t participate supported their teammates, and I’m proud of that. “The performance wasn’t just about scoring four goals; it was also evident how many chances we created.”

Federico Cartabia opened the scoring for the Emirati side in the eighth minute with Nasaf equalising through Zafarmurod Abdirakhmatov before Shabab Al Ahli ran away with the tie. Renan Victor restored Shabab Al Ahli’s lead before further strikes from Matevsao and Breno put the result beyond any doubt.

Sousa will be confident of adding to their seven points when Shabab Al Ahli travel to Doha to face Qatar’s Al Duhail SC on Nov. 3.

Elsewhere, Chuncheon: Kim Gun-hee scored deep into injury time to earn Gangwon FC a dramatic 4-3 win over Vissel Kobe in Chuncheon on Wednesday, the K League 1 side securing victory after allowing a three-goal lead to slip.

Kim thumped the ball into the roof of the net five minutes into stoppage time after Taisei Miyashiro had inspired Kobe to make a second half comeback, the Japan international scoring twice as his side pulled level only to succumb late in added time.