Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus appeared in press statements after the loss to Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the King Abdulaziz Cup.

The coach said: "This is our third match against Al-Ittihad; we won two matches and lost one."

He added: "The first half was balanced, but Al-Ittihad was the better team in the match they won. After the red card, we tried to come back, but the team was fatigued, and Joao Vitor was suffering from a cold since the last match and felt unwell, while Al-Ittihad defended well and managed to secure the victory."

He continued: "We did not want to lose, and we will work to compensate for it in the next match. We needed Cristiano Ronaldo on the field because we faced a team defending with five players, and we needed him for set pieces; it is not logical to take him out given the defensive organization of the opponent."

He further explained the reasons for the decline in physical performance: "The team arrived at the match fatigued after returning from India, and some players were ill after the trip, so we were not in full physical readiness to play the match."

He concluded his remarks by saying: "Today we lost one of the important tournaments out of three, but we know from the beginning that the league is our top priority, and our second goal is the King's Cup. We will continue to focus on our main goal, which is to compete strongly for the league title."