Al-Ittihad boss Yens Vising: ‘We gave everything’ in Al-Hilal defeat

Yens Vising said Al-Ittihad had given everything until the final whistle but must learn from their mistakes after losing 3-2 to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

The result came in the eighth round of the competition and ended Al-Ittihad’s unbeaten start to the season. Their points total remains 17, leaving them second in the table and four points behind leaders Al-Hilal.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, the Dutch manager said his players had competed with the required physical intensity against a strong opponent, even though their effort did not produce the result they wanted.

“We lost the game, but we gave everything physically and in terms of intensity. We fought until the end,” Vising said.

He acknowledged the quality of Al-Hilal and insisted Al-Ittihad now had to use the defeat as a lesson before turning their attention to their next fixture.

“We played against a big team. I think they have lost two matches in their last 50 games, I don’t know,” he said. “We have to improve. We had to beat this team, and we gave everything until the end, but we have to learn and we will focus on the next match.”

Vising explains Jorge decision

Vising also addressed his selection of foreign players after leaving some members of his squad out of the match-day group.

He stressed that the omission of Jorge was not a reflection of the player’s ability, but the result of the competition’s registration rules, which allow him to name only eight foreign players for each match.

“Jorge is a great player and I love him,” Vising said. “The system only allows me to register eight foreign players in every game, and all the players who took part in the match did what they had to do.”

The manager reserved particular praise for Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, who impressed in midfield during the classic encounter. Vising went as far as to identify him as the outstanding player on the pitch.

“Ahmed Al-Ghamdi played a great match. In my opinion, he was the best player in the game,” he said.

Al-Jalidan missed out after injury

Vising explained that Al-Jalidan’s recent injury had affected his defensive planning before the meeting with Al-Hilal.

He said a match of this importance required him to select players who were fully ready physically and technically, while adding that Muhannad Al-Shanqiti had performed as expected.

“Al-Jalidan had been injured throughout the previous period, and a match like the one against Al-Hilal requires me to play the player who is ready,” Vising said. “Muhannad Al-Shanqiti did what he had to do.”

The Dutch coach will now hope his players can apply the lessons from the classic and quickly return to winning ways as Al-Ittihad continue their challenge for top spot in the Saudi Pro League.