Sérgio Conceição labels Jorge Jesus “top 5 Portuguese coaches of all time” after Saudi ‘Clasico’ win | OneFootball

Al Nassr 1-2 Al-Ittihad

Sérgio Conceição came out on top in the battle of the Portuguese coaches in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening, as Al-Ittihad knocked Jorge Jesus’ Al Nassr out of the King’s Cup in Riyadh.

In a match littered with Portuguese involvement, Conceição renewed battles with old foe Jesus, but the tone between the pair was refreshingly amicable at the final whistle, after a tense encounter which saw victors Al-Ittihad play much of the second half with ten men.

Al Nassr came into the game in imperious form, having won all six of their matches in the Pro League, while Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix were selected by Jesus having already established a lethal connection. For Al-Ittihad, ex-Braga man Roger Fernandes was deployed in a team which also contained French legends Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.

Indeed, it was Benzema who gave Al-Ittihad the lead on 15 minutes, but Al Nassr levelled when Ronaldo teed up Brazilian teenage forward Angelo on the half hour. Al-Ittihad regained the advantage not long before the interval through Houssem Aouar to go 2-1 up, but Al Nassr were given hope when the visitors had Ahmed Al Julaydan sent off early in the second period for a reckless high challenge.

Ronaldo had the best of the chances to equalise for Al Nassr, but his attempted loft when through on goal was easily saved by Predrag Rajkovic. As such, Conceição’s Al-Ittihad advance to the quarter finals, while for Al Nassr one of their hopes for a trophy disappears early on in the campaign.

“Jesus one of Portugal’s greats” – Conceição

Conceição and Jesus have certainly not always enjoyed the most harmonious of relationships when meeting on the touchline, but the former Porto boss was gracious in victory, offering high praise to his veteran counterpart, whom he made a point of embracing on the field after the final whistle.

"I think he's among the top five Portuguese coaches of all time,” Conceicao said. “I was coached by him. He's a very experienced coach who can bring out the best in each player. I have the utmost respect for him.

"I'm passionate about what I do and I enjoy playing against the best. The victories I've had against him are due to preparation and telling the players that in these matches we have to give our all. I really enjoy facing coaches who are figures, who have proven themselves. I really enjoy exposing their weaknesses and minimizing their teams' potential. It's challenging for me.”

Jesus irked by question

tionConceição’s positive record against Jesus was a theme during the post-match media coverage, which inevitable irked Jesus. One journalist even asked the former Benfica man if Conceição is the reason he lost his job at Estadio da Luz, which provoked an irritated response.

“You want us to talk about the Portuguese league? What are these questions?” Jesus replied. “Today we lost a major competition: the King’s Cup. The league is our priority and our main objective. The King’s Cup was our second objective, but we failed.

"This is our third match against Al Ittihad. We've won two and lost one. The first half was evenly matched, and after the red card, we tried to equalize, but we couldn't. The opponent defended well. It was our first defeat this season."

"Cristiano? Our problem today wasn't Cristiano, but rather fatigue and exhaustion. We can't forget that we played against a strong and excellent team, champions of the League and the Cup. The defeat had nothing to do with tactics, but rather with a great match between two teams, each looking for victory."