Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Al Hilal have terminated the contract of head coach Georgios Donis following Tuesday’s disappointing goalless draw with Lokomotiv, a result that threatens to derail the Riyadh giants’ hopes of progressing to the last eight of the 2016 AFC Champions League.
The two-time Asian Club Championship winners dominated the first leg of the Round of 16 clash but found Uzbekistan international goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov in inspired form, with Al Hilal’s inability to build an advantage for the second leg in Tashkent sealing Donis’ downfall.
The Greek coach took charge of Al Hilal in February 2015, leading the club to the King’s Cup, the Crown Prince’s Cup, and the Saudi Super Cup, which saw Donis’ side defeat league champions 1-0 in London.
After beginning the 2015 AFC Champions League with a goalless draw against Iran’s Foolad Khouzestan, Donis led Al Hilal to three successive victories - including a 2-1 win over Lokomotiv in Tashkent - as the 2014 runners-up advanced to the knockout phase. Aggregate victories over Persepolis (3-1) and Lekhwiya (6-3) followed but Donis’ first AFC Champions League adventure ended at the semi-final stage following a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Al Ahli, with the 1-1 draw in the first-leg in Riyadh proving costly.
This year’s continental campaign has also proved to be a mixed bag for Donis’ charges, with a 2-1 victory over Group C winners Tractorsazi Tabriz on the final day of the group stage taking Al Hilal through to the Round of 16 as runners-up after a defeat to the Iranians and draws with Pakhtakor and Al Jazira put their place in the knockout stage in jeopardy.
And with Al Hilal unable to find the net against Lokomotiv at the King Fahd Stadium, the Saudi side’s management opted to dismiss Donis, with Abdullatif Al Hussaini, technical director of the club’s youth teams, taking charge for the second leg of their 2016 AFC Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Photo: Lagardère Sports