No handshake: Sérgio Conceição clashes with Inzaghi | OneFootball

A new controversy has arisen in Saudi Arabia with Sérgio Conceição at the center of attention. The Portuguese coach directly pointed to Simone Inzaghi, coach of Al Hilal, after Al Ittihad's defeat (0-2) on Friday, for not shaking his hand, suggesting that their recent history in Italy might be the reason.

When asked by Saudi journalists about the "no handshake" with Inzaghi, Sérgio Conceição replied: "Nothing happened between us. It might be related to our recent games when I won with AC Milan. In the future, we will meet again, and maybe things will change."

In practice, the former FC Porto coach was referring to recent duels with the Italian rival, highlighting the victory in the Italian Super Cup against Inzaghi's Inter as a significant episode.

In January, Sérgio Conceição took over AC Milan, succeeding Paulo Fonseca, and immediately faced a challenging test against Inter in a decisive match for a trophy: in a final held in Saudi Arabia, AC Milan won 3-2 with the winning goal scored during injury time.

This debut was auspicious for Conceição, who remained unbeaten in the duels against Inzaghi while at Milan. Three more matches followed between Inter and AC Milan, with two draws and a convincing victory for Rafael Leão's team, securing a place in the Italian Cup final – a final that Milan eventually lost to Bologna.

Previously, when Conceição was coaching FC Porto, he faced Inzaghi twice, with one draw and one victory for the Italian coach.

The overall record between them is now balanced: Sérgio Conceição won twice, as did Simone Inzaghi, with three draws.

Friday's match ended Inzaghi's winless streak against Conceição and highlighted a new rivalry that promises to stir Saudi football. An own goal by Doumbia and a goal by Marcos Leonardo, a former Benfica player, decided the match at King Abdullah Sports City and confirmed Sérgio Conceição's first defeat at the helm of Al Ittihad.

After debuting with a draw in the league against Al-Fayha (1-1) and defeating Al-Shorta Baghdad (4-1) in the Asian Champions League, the 50-year-old Portuguese coach now experienced the taste of defeat.

"I do not accept that the players lost confidence after 60 minutes. They must regain their competitive spirit, and it's necessary to sacrifice everything we have to achieve remarkable performances in games," stated Sérgio Conceição.

Al Ittihad will play again on Tuesday, visiting Al Nassr with Jorge Jesus, Cristiano Ronaldo, and João Félix.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.