Al Hilal had to recover quickly after the high of drawing their opening match with Real Madrid C.F. Just four days later, they were once again facing European opposition, this time in the form of FC Salzburg.
Much like against Madrid, the Saudis started fast, looking to exploit the matchups on the wings, whipping in low crosses and trying to find ways into the box. Their approach was so effective that opposition manager Thomas Letsch later admitted he adjusted his tactics to deal with the issue.
“The pressure of Al Hilal was really high. What they did in a perfect way was overload the sides,” said Letsch. “They had a lot of balls coming into the box. It was important for us to have a lot of defenders in the box, and even our two No6s.”
After Salzburg switched to a three-man backline, Al Hilal continued to create chances, but failed to find the back of the net, much to Ruben Neves’s frustration.
“I think we are performing very well,” the Portuguese midfielder told FIFA. “[We are] just missing being more clinical in front of the goal. We created a lot of chances today. In the first half we were unbelievable, like the last match.
“We just need to be more clinical because we played good enough to be winning the game at half-time. And that’s what we need to improve. Defensively, we are okay. We didn’t concede goals today. That’s a good thing. We didn’t lose the game, another good thing, because now we can take it to the last match and let’s see what happens.”
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, helped explain some of Neves’s frustration, telling FIFA: “It was a very difficult game because our opponents were very good at the back. They defended very well and left us very little space.”
The Moroccan, who won the Michelob Ultra Superior Man of the Match after keeping a shutout, added: “Our team tried [to get in behind] on both flanks, and through crosses. But the important thing is that we were defensively vigilant, especially after losing the ball. We also pressed well, as we know that Salzburg are very dangerous in space and in transitions. I think that in the end the result is positive.”
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The scoreless draw leaves Al Hilal in a perilous position, needing a victory against CF Pachuca to have a chance at qualifying for the knockout stage. Still, there is belief among the squad in the direction the team is heading.
“We are not in the best position, but we believe until the end,” said Neves. “Like we showed today again, we played against two very good teams and we showed character. We showed that we were better than them. That’s our main target. But we need to win the games. It’s not enough to say that we play well if we don’t win. So that’s what we want to do [in the] next match.”
Both Neves and Bounou credited head coach Simone Inzaghi for helping prepare the team for such a demanding tournament.
Bounou noted that Inzaghi has improved the side tactically and helped them stand up to tough European opposition. “I think our coach was very smart and up to the standard of this competition,” said Bounou. “We competed very well in both matches and at no time did we look like an inferior team. We understood the moments when we had to press, the moments when we had to retreat. To be honest, it was a very smart game from all the players and obviously due to Simone Inzaghi’s instructions.”
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“We trained [with him] for one week and I think we see already his work,” said Neves. “I think the team showed great performances physically and tactically. We played fantastic matches. But like I told you, it’s not enough to play great matches and not win. So we’ll try to do better in the next game.”
