Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Riyadh: Al Hilal technical director Sami Al Jaber was delighted with the performance of his players on Wednesday as they turned on the style to trounce Uzbek champions Bunyodkor 3-0 and book their place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League for the third time in five seasons.
Captain Yasser Al Qahtani opened the scoring at King Fahd International Stadium in the 20th minute before second-half goals by Nassri Al Shamrani and Salem Al Dawsari sealed an emphatic 4-0 aggregate triumph for the Saudi giants in the Round of 16 clash.
“It was a difficult match but the players put a lot of effort and I want to thank the players for what they showed today,” said Al Jaber.
“We had a good performance and proved that we can play very well whether at home or away.”
The Saudi football legend insisted that his side should continue to attack despite taking a 1-0 lead in the first leg in Tashekent.
“We respected our opponents as we forgot the result of the first leg and we achieved a big victory,” he said,
“We asked the players to go forward early in each period and we successfully had a good performance coupled with a big win which means that we now have a respected side.”