Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: A delighted Al Hilal coach Giorgios Donis expressed his happiness at seeing his side secure a place in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 with a game to spare after the 2-1 defeat of Lokomotiv in Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
A goalless stalemate at Lokomotiv Stadium was ended by second-half strikes from Nawaf Al Abid and Abdulla Al Dossary and despite substitute Temurkhuja Abdukholikov pulling one back for the hosts deep into stoppage time, 2014 finalists Al Hilal were able to secure the victory they needed to progress from Group C.
ACL MD5 – Group C: Lokomotiv 1-2 Al Hilal
With Al Hilal having lost the continental championship showpiece last year to Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers, Donis had expressed his determination to go far in this year’s edition of the tournament and the former Greece international praised his players in overcoming the first hurdle on their path.
“We are very happy with this victory, as we have now already qualified to the next stage. I want to congratulate my players. They played well and worked very hard,” said Donis (pictured).
“Some players had some problems with injuries, but they still wanted to play. Thiago Neves, Digao and Salem Al Dawsari had fitness concerns before the match. But after speaking to the team’s medical staff, and the players, they said they were ready for the game.
“The match was very tough and players sometimes were nervous. It is a normal situation in football. We achieved not only good football today, but achieved a great result also.”
Opposite number Vadim Abramov was magnanimous in defeat and heaped praise on their victorious opponents, despite the result leaving his own side’s prospects of a Round of 16 place looking grim.
“I want to congratulate Al Hilal for the victory, they are the best team in our group,” said Lokomotiv coach Abramov.
“We played badly in the first half and although we had some chances in the second half, Al Hilal scored the goals and gained the advantage.
“We repeatedly gave the ball to our opponents after our mistakes. Even though we created chances, we were too eager to create attacks quickly and try for swift counterattacks, and in doing so made several mistakes.
“Our opponent today was very strong and we have faced strong teams in this group. We have not enough experience in the AFC Champions League as a team, while Al Hilal is a very experienced team in this competition.”
Photo: WSG