Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição, head of Saudi club Al-Ittihad, harshly criticized his players following their 4-2 loss to Qatar's Al-Duhail in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Conceição told Al-Riyadiyah newspaper: "We didn't have an actual team on the field, just names. I've never seen a situation like this before in my career."

The Portuguese coach added: "I am 50 years old, and I could have played at the same pace. We had a plan that the players did not follow, and if we had made the substitutions earlier, the result might have changed."

Conceição pointed out that the players' performance in defense was very weak compared to the attack, emphasizing the importance of balancing defense and offense to protect the team's goal.

The coach concluded his statements by saying: "I congratulate Al-Duhail on the victory, and I hope our fans understand our apology for what happened in the match. I have nothing more to add."

Al-Ittihad currently occupies eighth place in Group B of the AFC Champions League with 6 points. Meanwhile, they are preparing to face Al-Shabab next Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, following a previous 2-1 victory over Al-Nassr.