Al-Hilal boss Simone Inzaghi has explained why he hauled off Sabri Dhel so early during the clash with UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The Saudi giants beat Shabab Al-Ahli 2-0 on Tuesday evening at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, in the fourth round of the league stage of the Asian tournament.
A strange incident unfolded when Inzaghi pulled young midfielder Sabri Dhel in the 28th minute, sending on right-back Mohamed Mahzari in his place.
The Italian addressed the matter at the post-match press conference, as reported by Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat": "We were very excellent in the match, against a team that had won its first three matches. We controlled the match and secured the win, which is a step forward."
He added: "All the players were excellent, including Sabri Dhel, and after he received the yellow card I substituted him so as not to risk him getting a red card. He is a young and promising player, and I urge him to put in more effort."
Inzaghi went on: "The players delivered a wonderful level, and today I sought to rotate some of the players, given the fixture congestion."
He continued: "We had some absences, Ruben Neves, (Gabriel) Martinelli, (Crysencio) Summerville and Salem (Al-Dawsari), but overall we are happy with the performance, and we are working continuously to improve the aspect of dealing with set pieces."
His parting message: "We hope Salem Al-Dawsari will be available to us after the break, him and the rest of the injured players."
Al-Dawsari has started just a single match since the start of the current season, with two more off the bench, hampered by an injury he has carried since the end of the 2026 World Cup. It recently flared up again.
Al-Hilal sit second in the Western group of the AFC Champions League Elite on 9 points, from three wins and one defeat. That leaves them three points behind UAE's Al-Ain at the summit.