Inzaghi hails tough win as Al-Hilal defeat Al-Gharafa in AFC Elite Champions League

The press conference hall at Kingdom Arena hosted the post-match briefing on Tuesday evening following the clash between Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and Qatar’s Al-Gharafa in the 2026-2027 AFC Elite Champions League.

Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi described the match as intense and hard-fought, noting that his team pushed to score and succeeded despite missing several chances. He emphasized that the most important thing was securing the win and collecting all three points.

Inzaghi acknowledged that Al-Hilal conceded a goal they had hoped to avoid, as the team aimed to keep a clean sheet. He highlighted the importance of the return of Salem Al-Dawsari and Ali Lajami from injury, calling them key players, and expressed hope they would be fully fit after the Saudi league’s break.

The coach also pointed out that Al-Hilal started the season strongly, with eight wins and just one loss, and praised the team’s performances both defensively and offensively, especially with many challenges ahead in the coming period.

Regarding the new signings this season, Inzaghi said the squad had been strengthened with several talented players, stressing the importance of every squad member, whether starters or substitutes, and their ability to contribute.

For his part, Al-Hilal’s Sergej Savic, who was named man of the match, expressed his happiness with the victory. He said the team had started the tournament well, creating many chances, and underlined the importance of securing the three points.

Savic also voiced his ambition to win the continental title with Al-Hilal, after the team fell short in the previous two seasons.

On the other side, Al-Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said his team entered the match aiming to deliver a competitive performance and achieve a positive result. He noted that Al-Gharafa started well and had two chances that could have been converted.

Martins described Al-Hilal as one of the standout teams in the competition, citing their high-quality players, which allowed them to control the match and make things difficult for Al-Gharafa. He nonetheless expressed satisfaction with his players’ efforts.

The Al-Gharafa coach added that the technical gap between the teams was clear and that his side was aware of the challenge beforehand, stressing he had no regrets about his decisions during the match.

Discussing Al-Hilal’s strengths, Martins called them a cohesive side with no obvious weaknesses, highlighting their quality in both defense and attack and the overall high caliber of their squad.