غضب اتحادي.. المدرب بلان يبرر الخسارة.. والجماهير تنتظر التصحيح

After 24 hours of the defeat of the Ittihad team against their counterpart Al-Nassr in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup, with a score of two goals to one, in the match that took place at the Hong Kong International Stadium, as part of the semi-final round of the tournament that continues until the 23rd of August, the Ittihad coach Blan revealed that his team lacked attacking momentum during the match, and that the loss is considered a natural outcome given the start of the new season and the absence of some key players in the backline, such as player Hassan Kadhesh and goalkeeper Raikovic. He said: “My team did not benefit from the numerical disadvantage that their opponent faced after the red card; they did not perform at the required level.”

For their part, the Ittihad fans expressed their anger towards the coach and the club's management due to the club's weakness in finalizing contract deals, compared to Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli during the summer transfer window, as the Ittihad fans were expecting heavy signings to assist team captain Karim Benzema in staying at the top.

It is noteworthy that Al-Nassr scored their first goal early in the tenth minute through their player Sadio Mane, before Ittihad equalized in the 16th minute with a goal from their player Steven Bergwijn, ending the first half in a positive draw of one goal each.

In the second half, despite the numerical disadvantage after the expulsion of player Sadio Mane in the 25th minute of the first half, Al-Nassr managed to score the winning goal through their player Joao Felix in the 61st minute, capitalizing on a precise pass from his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, and Al-Nassr maintained their lead until the final whistle, securing a spot in the final match.