Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, "We're better."the opponent's director's temper

Apr 29, 2025

Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, 'We're better.'the opponent's director's temper
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association



Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, 'We're better.'the opponent's director's temper
Jorgesus Al Hilal, who beat Gwangju in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League (ACLE) and refused to shake hands with his opponent, Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo, is at the center of controversy again with remarks that seem to ignore the opponent team this time.

Al Hilal's Jesus, who reached the semifinals with a 7-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the ACLE in the 2024-2025 season against Gwangju on the 26th, expressed his determination to play in the ACLE semi-final against Al Ahli at 1:30 a.m. on the 30th at King Abdullah Sports City. Al Ahli advanced to the semi - finals with a 3-0 win over Thailand's Buriram United.

The face-off between the same Saudi team is hot even before the game. The soccer media 'GoalCom' Middle East edition reported on the 28th that when coach Al Hilal said 'Al Ahli is not a better opponent than us', coach Jaisle responded 'This is what sets us apart from Al Hilal!'




Portuguese veteran Jesus said "An important match between the two strong teams will be held soon. Nothing unexpected will happen. We know each other very well. Depending on the situation of the game, there may be some changes in the style of play or the composition of the players."

Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, 'We're better.'the opponent's director's temper
ReutersYonhap News
At the question of a reporter, 'foreign rosters' emerged as an issue of the press conference. The reporter asked 'There are nine foreign players in Al Hilal, whereas there are 12 players who are Al Hilal.

Al Ahli had Roberto Firmino, Galeno, Gabrie Veiga, Merich Demiral, Frank Kesier, Ivan Toni, Edouard Mendy, among others. Al Hilal has Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Malkong, Marcos Leonardo and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored against Gwangju, as well as Hoobang Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, João Cancelo, Henan Roddy and Bunu.




Jesus said "Both teams have a wide range of technical options. It's true that Al Ahli has more foreign players than us, but that doesn't mean they're better than us. What is important is the impact of teamwork and individual abilities on the team. Perfect teamwork is important to advance to the final. In the end, teamwork makes a difference."

He also said that the Saudi club's advance to the semi-finals or three teams proves the strength of Saudi football.

Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, 'We're better.'the opponent's director's temper
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
Tell me. Director Al Hilal, who refused to shake hands with Lee Jung-hyo, said, 'We're better.'the opponent's director's temper
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
In response, Al Ahli's coach Matthias Jaisle said "We have 12 foreign players on our team, but what's important to me is performance. I will try to show a good performance in tomorrow's game. This advantage (the number of foreign players) provides sufficient flexibility."

Jaisle seemed to have in mind the opposing team manager's remarks that "'Al Hilal is better than Al Ahli', and "Al Hilal is a strong team, but more importantly, respect on the field." We play with respect rather than fear of our opponents. We beat them in the last league game (3-2). We will repeat the same result tomorrow. We are full of confidence enough to reach the final as well."

The winner of the Al Hilal and Al Ahli semi-final will face the Al Nasr-Kawasaki Frontale winner in the final.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.