31 Crosses, One Clean Finish: Al-Ittihad Edges Nasaf Qarshi in a Gutsy AFC Showdown

Match Overview

Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao of Al-Ittihad expressed satisfaction with the hard-fought 1-0 win against Nasaf Qarshi, noting that the team played well and created several chances, though they could not convert them as efficiently as they would have liked.

The 'Al-Ittihad' earned a hard-fought victory at home in front of their fans against Nasaf, a 1-0 result in the sixth round of the Elite AFC Champions League.

In the post-match press conference, Conceicao said: "We delivered 31 crosses during the game, which is a decent rate, and of course we could have achieved a better result, but the important thing is that we created chances and won, and that makes us happy."

He also stressed the importance of collecting points after the long break, saying: "The most important thing is to pick up points after a month-long break. We knew the match would be tough, and now our focus is on upcoming games and looking ahead."

He reiterated that the team's main goal remains consistency in performance and creating opportunities, benefiting from good organization and the players' spirit, while maintaining a balance between attack and defense.

Conceicao closed by highlighting the value of teamwork and home support in Jeddah, adding: "Having our fans with us gives us a big boost, and we will continue to rely on this positive energy to achieve the results we want in the upcoming matches."

Conceição hails the win but knows finishing still needs work; 31 crosses may spark a few headaches for the analysts, but the scoreboard doesn’t lie.

Punchline 1: If chances were currency, 31 crosses would fund a small stadium.

Punchline 2: If finishing were Wi-Fi, they’d finally connect after the break.