Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus remains poised as ever even after reaching the final of the four-team Saudi Cup, which is being hosted outside the Kingdom for the first time and in Abu Dhabi. The Saudi Pro League leaders are in the cup final against Al Ittihad which will kick off at 9:30pm at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday.
Jesus’ men displayed an aggressive and fresh counter-attacking football to send Al Nassr packing on Monday, the late night of action ending with their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo getting a red card. Goals from Hilal’s Brazilian Malcolm and Salem Al Dawsari ensured a 2-1 victory and a statement of intent ahead of the final, followed quickly in three days with the Asian Champions League semi-final first-leg clash against Al Ain.
The hectic schedule only reflects the modern era hazards of being a top-class team with ambition, Jesus said in Abu Dhabi. “All big teams have three-four competitions which they have to play at the same time. If we want to serve our ambition of being in the big league, we have to be prepared and ready for every challenge.
“We have a few days of gap for the Al Ain game, just as we have couple of days to recover for the [Saudi Cup] final,” said the manager while not ruling out also the possibility of flying back and returning late for Tuesday’s home tie for Al Ain.
Al Hilal’s display against Al Nassr by soaking in the pressure first before turning on the screws in the second is an ominous sign for Ainawi fans. The Al Ain technical team must have watched the game closely as Al Hilal showed dangerous fluidity, with Brazilians Malcolm and Michael proving compatible foils in attack. Malcolm addressed the pre-match conference along with his coach on Wednesday.
The Brazilian magician @neymarjr in our training session in Abu Dhabi 🤩#AlHilal 💙 pic.twitter.com/EahQjlActz
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) April 10, 2024
“Two years ago, we played Zenit St Peterburg and I was impressed with his game so much that I wanted him here,” Jesus said. Malcolm joined last year on a four-year contract. “We will play tomorrow with our usual preparations for any match even if it is an opportunity to win our first championship of the season,” Malcolm said. “Victory is the only language at Al Hilal.”
However, Al Hilal have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past five matches. Jesus remained unperturbed. “The way we play our game, we are chasing goals all the time. It is better to score and lose maybe, rather than lose without trying.”
That will be a cue for Al Ittihad, their final opponents, who beat Wehda 2-1 with the fastest goal in Saudi Cup when Karim Benzema ended his goal drought and struck at 55 seconds on Monday night. Ittihad trained first, followed by Al Hilal, with no break for Eid Al Fitr celebrations.
Security was tight and it transpired after the press conference that the buzz was because Neymar made an appearance at the ground.
The legend who made history 🤩☝️ by scoring the fastest goal ever in the Saudi Super Cup tournaments@Benzema 🐐
— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) April 9, 2024
pic.twitter.com/U2jiD18g4a
