Al-Hilal lost 3-1 in the semi-final of the AFC Champions League.
Jesus said in the press conference after the match: “Coming here as a loser changes the emotions, I aspired to win the title alongside the players because it is an important tournament for them, but we did not outperform Al-Ahli.”
He explained: “Al-Ahli was better than our team, in the first half they had opportunities from spaces that we shouldn’t have left, they exploited them and scored two goals, which affected the mental balance of the players. Additionally, the red card (Koulibaly) compounded the situation and prevented the team from returning to the match.”
Jesus rejected blaming the management, affirming: “We lost to a big team that has capabilities like ours, things did not go as planned, and when the results are negative, I am the only victim. I am the one who builds the team and sets the plans, and I take full responsibility; the management has nothing to do with the loss.”
In response to journalists’ questions about his continuation in his position, he said: “Before and after the match, I am the coach of Al-Hilal and I have a contract.”
Regarding his tactical decisions and player selections, he said: “Every match has its strategy, today I saw that during the build-up with the left foot and the characteristics of Al-Ahli’s players made me choose Al-Bulayhi, who is also not fatigued. The defensive quartet is the one that played against Al-Ahli here in the league and we won.”
He also criticized the referee of the match, saying: “I do not like to talk about referees, but my opinion is that the referee did not rise to the level of the match, the level of football and the pace; technically, he is limited in capabilities for this level.”
Jesus concluded: “The referee was behind the tension of the match due to time-wasting, and he caused things to escalate between the two sides, but I am responsible for the loss and Al-Hilal could not get past this stage.”
