Al Hilal coach Florent Ibenge believes his outfit were too respectful of their opponent, leading to their defeat in the CAF Champions League.
The Sudanese giants succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly in the first leg of the quarterfinals clash on Tuesday at the Cairo International Stadium.
Mohamed Hany’s early strike was enough to secure victory for the defending champions at their own backyard.
After the game, the Congolese tactician asserted his outfit gave Al Ahly too much respect leading to their defeat.
“We started the match with extreme caution and showed too much respect for Al Ahly, which led to us conceding an early goal. However, we then regained our balance and got back into the game.”
“We played against Al Ahly in an evenly match, and the second leg will decide the outcome, especially since there are a number of distinguished players who did not participate today. We hope they will return in the next match, and the upcoming training sessions will determine who will participate in the second leg.”
Al Hilal will play host to Al Ahly in the return leg clash scheduled for next week Tuesday in Mauritania.
