JEDDAH :Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli blamed an error-strewn display for his Saudi Pro League side’s semi-final exit from the Asian Champions League Elite on Wednesday as the Riyadh-based outfit were handed a 3-2 defeat in Jeddah by Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale.
The Cristiano Ronaldo-led team had gone into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium as favourites to progress only to be dumped out of the competition by the J-League side, who will face Al-Ahli in Saturday’s final.
“We have made a lot of mistakes and this has cost us the match,” said Pioli. “It is always very difficult to lose in a semi-final.
“Our opponent surprised us, they played at a very high level and the problem was that we were not disciplined. We committed a lot of mistakes and we didn’t play at our full capacity.”
Kawasaki had gone into the game with one day less rest than Al-Nassr after their respective quarter-finals in the centrally hosted finals series, but came out looking sharper and quicker to the ball.
Tatsuya Ito’s 10th-minute volley put Kawasaki in front but Sadio Mane’s deflected effort levelled the scores 18 minutes later.
Yuto Ozeki put Kawasaki in front again four minutes before the interval and substitute Akihiro Ienaga netted 14 minutes from time at close range to ensure Aiman Yahya’s long-range strike was too little, too late for Pioli’s team.
The Italian’s decisions throughout the game will come under scrutiny as Al-Nassr’s wait for a first Asian Champions League crown goes on for at least another year.
“I understand the criticism of the tactics and at this kind of level we knew the style of our opponent, but we were not good at applying the tactics and the style we trained on,” said Pioli.
“We played the same style, we were no different than in the previous match. We didn’t do anything different. This is the reality. It’s difficult for everybody, for the team, for the players, for the coach and the fans of Al-Nassr.”
