Al-Ittihad Jeddah forward Moussa Diaby chose to keep the focus firmly on the present after his side’s emphatic win over Al-Gharafa, brushing aside questions about former teammate Karim Benzema’s move to rivals Al-Hilal.
The Saudi champions delivered a dominant performance on Tuesday night, thrashing the Qatari side 7-0 in the penultimate round of the Asian Elite League group stage.
The convincing result sealed Al-Ittihad’s place in the knockout rounds, regardless of what happens in the final round of matches.
Diaby, who is a French-Malian attacker featured for the full duration of the encounter, contributed an assist despite failing to get his name on the scoresheet.
Speaking after the match, the French attacker declined to be drawn into discussion about Benzema’s departure.
“I don’t want to talk about the past, I want to talk about the present and the future. Today we achieved a great victory and earned 3 points and everyone is happy,” he said.
Diaby added, “The secret to victory over Al Gharafa is that we work hard every day to be better, and it can be said that this victory is a gift to every player in the team.”
Diaby previously enjoyed a strong partnership with Benzema at Al-Ittihad, a combination that played a key role in the club’s league and cup double last season.
However, that chapter came to an end when Benzema completed a move to Al-Hilal on the final day of the winter transfer window, opting not to see out the remainder of his contract after rejecting the renewal terms offered by the club.
