Al-Nassr vs. Al-Hilal
Al-Nassr
Al-Hilal
Saudi Pro League
Jorge Jesus
Bento
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Portugal
Brazil
Football
Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese manager of Al-Nassr, addressed his team’s draw against Al-Hilal in the Riyadh derby, part of Matchday 32 of the Saudi Pro League. He emphasized that his side was on the verge of securing the league title before conceding a late equalizer.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jesus said: “First, I want to congratulate everyone on the high tactical level displayed in the match, along with the fantastic atmosphere created by the fans. What happened on the pitch was a true football celebration.”
He added: “The last chance denied us from celebrating the league title today, but we still have a home game to become champions. Football always gives you another opportunity, and we strongly believe in our ability to win.”
Jesus continued: “Our full focus is now on recovery, as we have the AFC Champions League 2 final on Saturday. Some players showed signs of fatigue today—the match was exhausting, and the weather was hot. We will prepare the team in the best possible way for the upcoming fixture.”
The Portuguese coach went on: “This setback won’t affect the players in the coming days, maybe only in the first few hours after the match. But the team has enough experience to handle such moments.”
Regarding the equalizer his side conceded, he stated: “The goal came after a collision between Bento and Martinez, with no intervention from Al-Hilal players. But such incidents happen often in football, and I’m not angry about it.”
He also sent a message to Al-Nassr fans: “I told the supporters that we have a match on our home ground to decide the league title. Naturally, everyone wants to be crowned when only one game remains.”
He added: “It’s hard for us to accept the draw because we wanted to finish things today, but with God’s will, we will win against Damac.”
Jesus also touched on the injury and fatigue issues: “We must not forget that we were missing Angelo and Al-Khaibari due to injury, so I brought in Saad Al-Nasser. He played a great match and managed to close the spaces in front of Savic.”
He concluded: “After Brozovic’s injury, I brought on Nader, but after these substitutions, the team became more defensively oriented. Therefore, we couldn’t continue attacking and score a second goal. We tried to hold on to the lead, but everyone saw how the equalizer came about.”
