The French coach Laurent Blanc, manager of the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, confirmed that his team's match against Al-Wehda in the Round of 32 of the King Abdulaziz Cup was not easy, despite achieving a victory with a clean goal.

He explained that cup matches always bring surprises, citing instances in the French league where big clubs stumble against less powerful teams, indicating that Al-Ittihad was only looking for a win.

Regarding the moment he shared with midfielder Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Blanc clarified that their conversation was purely technical, as he asked him to pass the corner kick to a teammate instead of executing it directly, emphasizing that it did not go beyond that.

Blanc stressed his confidence in the abilities of local players, noting that relying on them is not a new thing, as he had previously fielded several of them in past matches and did not hesitate to give them the opportunity again against Al-Wehda.

The French coach also pointed out that Al-Ittihad does not have enough time for rest or recovery, especially since the team has three strong matches ahead in a short period, which requires high physical and mental readiness.

Blanc concluded his statements by confirming that Al-Wehda did not pose a significant threat to Al-Ittihad's goal during the match, while the only winning goal came from Saleh Al-Shehri via a penalty that led the team to the Round of 16.