Blanc: Faith is the Secret of Our Comeback in the Match, and Injuries Affect Us

The Frenchman Laurent Blanc, the head coach of Al-Ittihad Club, confirmed that his team's draw with Al-Ahli in the Jeddah Derby was not a coincidence, but rather a result of the players' belief in their ability to score at any moment, pointing out that the team does not rely on special secrets, but rather on fighting until the end.

Blanc said in the press conference after the match: "Until the last moments, we were trying to score. I spoke with the players during halftime and asked them, are you waiting for Al-Ahli to score first? We should be the ones to take the initiative; we have to take risks to score."

He added: "It is true that in previous matches we were reactive, but against Al-Hilal, for example, we were the better side and did take the initiative. I don't like to compare my team to any other team, but we must be realistic and acknowledge that we have many injuries affecting us."

The Al-Ittihad coach continued: "It has been a long time since Unai Hernandez participated, and although he still needs physical time, I preferred to start him because bringing a player of his age on as a substitute is difficult. He had a good match and has a promising future."