Al-Hilal first-team head coach Simone Inzaghi expressed his disappointment following the defeat against Al-Shamal, emphasizing that fatigue affected the team’s performance in the second half

“The defeat is painful, and it is only my third since joining Al-Hilal. We played well in the first half, but we were unable to maintain the same level in the second half due to fatigue,” Inzaghi said

He added that fatigue prevented several players from starting the match, stressing that the team would work to prepare in the best possible way for the upcoming fixture

Regarding the absence of several players, Inzaghi explained that Mohammed Mahzari, Gabriel Martinelli, and Crysencio Summerville did not travel with the squad to Qatar, while Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were with the team but were not physically fit enough to feature in the match

Speaking about the performances of Salem Al-Dawsari and Saïmon Bouabre, Inzaghi praised both players, saying: “They delivered excellent performances, particularly Salem, who returned to action and played the full 90 minutes”

He also highlighted Bouabre’s performance and his contribution to creating several attacking opportunities throughout the match

Inzaghi made these remarks during the post-match press conference following Al-Hilal’s away fixture against Al-Shamal on Tuesday evening at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, Qatar, as part of Matchday Three of the AFC Champions League Elite