Diaz satisfied despite Al Hilal loss

CAIRO – 26 November 2017: Al Hilal failed to achieve their third AFC Champions League title after losing 1-0 to Urawa Red Diamonds; however, Al Hilal manager Ramon Diaz feels satisfied with his players’ performance.

“I am really satisfied with my players. They performed very well, and I am proud of everyone at the club,” Diaz told press after the game.

Al Hilal had the upper hand in the game and their players created many chances to score, but they were unlucky.

Diaz spoke about the final, saying, “Maybe we lost our chance here in Tokyo after missing so many chances in Riyadh. It was a dream to be here and we did well all the way through the tournament.”

The first leg ended with a 1-1 draw in Riyadh and they travelled to Japan with fewer opportunities than their opponent.

Diaz blamed the injuries on losing the final. He said, “We had bad luck in our home game when one of our key players, Carlos Eduardo, was injured. Today, Khribin got injured and this complicated the mission for us.”

Urawa Red won their second title in the competition, after they achieved the first one in 2007.