The Portuguese Sergio Conceição, coach of the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, expressed his great dissatisfaction following the exit from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup after losing to Al-Kholood in the semifinals.

The coach affirmed his full responsibility for the elimination, noting that the team was close to securing the match, but the details of the game, especially in physical confrontations, shifted the balance and affected the final result.

Conceição explained that penalty shootouts are always complicated, especially after taking the lead during the match, considering that losing control at certain times contributed to missing the chance to qualify.

Regarding the substitutions, it was noted that taking Youssef En-Nesyri off was a successful tactical decision, emphasizing that Saleh Al-Shehri delivered a good performance and created several scoring opportunities, reflecting his readiness.

The coach spoke about the injury of Mahamadou Doumbia, explaining that the initial assessment does not indicate a serious risk, but he emphasized the player's importance and the impact of his absence on the team's balance on the field.

He also pointed out that the team was affected in the past period by the departure of some key players, especially in the midfield, most notably N'Golo Kante, emphasizing that replacing these names was not easy.