Al Ittihad’s management held an urgent, closed-door meeting on Thursday, March 14, following the team’s shocking exit from the AFC Champions League at the hands of Al Hilal. The crisis talks, which lasted for several hours, were called to analyze the dramatic collapse that saw the team surrender a two-goal lead to lose 2-4 on aggregate.
The discussions, described as intense, focused on the reasons behind the second-leg implosion at King Abdullah Sports City. Having secured a valuable 0-0 draw in the first leg in Riyadh, Al Ittihad were in a commanding position after going 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes of the return fixture through goals from Ahmed Al Ghamdi and Romarinho.
However, the match turned on its head. Al Hilal’s Sergej Milinković-Savić pulled one back before halftime, and a second-half onslaught saw the visitors score three more times through Salem Al Dawsari, Malcom, and another from Milinković-Savić, completing a stunning 4-0 comeback win on the night.
Inside the meeting, the technical and administrative staff reviewed the catastrophic drop in performance after the bright start. Key topics included the defensive fragility displayed and the overall reaction after conceding the first goal, which allowed Al Hilal to seize complete control.
The club’s board, led by President Anmar Al Haili, listened to detailed reports from the technical staff. While the immediate focus was on the post-mortem of the Asian exit, the talks also looked ahead to salvaging the domestic season. The board has reportedly decided to continue with coach Marcelo Gallardo for the remainder of the campaign, prioritizing stability with the Roshn Saudi League and King’s Cup still to fight for.
Officially, the club stated the meeting was a standard procedure to assess the situation after a significant setback. “Such evaluations are normal following any major result,” a club source said, confirming the board’s decision to retain faith in Gallardo to lead the team in the remaining competitions.
The immediate task for Gallardo is to pick his squad up for their next Roshn Saudi League match against Al Okhdood on Friday, March 15. With the dream of Asian glory over for another year, the pressure is now on to secure a strong finish to the 2023-2024 season and deliver in the King’s Cup.
