Youssef En-Nesyri earns Al-Ittihad dramatic Asian victory

Al-Ittihad manager Yens Viseng admitted his side had to work hard to beat Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana 2-1 in the third round of the AFC Champions League Elite.

The Saudi club secured victory in the closing stages through Morocco forward Youssef En-Nesyri, who scored directly from a free-kick to complete a dramatic comeback.

Viseng said Al-Ittihad had faced a strong opponent and experienced difficulties during the first half of the match.

“It was a difficult win,” he told reporters at his post-match news conference. “We faced difficulties against a strong opponent, and we had some problems in the first half.”

Despite the challenges, the Al-Ittihad manager said his players had created enough chances to win by a more comfortable margin. However, they were unable to make the most of their opportunities and were forced to fight until the final minutes.

“We could have decided the match with a better result because we created many scoring chances, but we did not take them as we should have,” Viseng said.

He added that he was satisfied with the result, although he acknowledged that converting more of their chances would have made the contest considerably easier for his team.

For Viseng, the decisive factor was that Al-Ittihad collected all three points and secured the victory, rather than the number of opportunities they had missed.

The coach also addressed the error that occurred during the match. He said mistakes were part of football, whether they came from him or the referee, but placed particular importance on the team’s response after conceding.

Viseng praised Al-Ittihad’s ability to recover from the setback, return to the game and eventually claim the win.

He ended his comments by reiterating his happiness with the result, while admitting that the team’s wastefulness had left it facing a difficult finish. Better use of the chances created, he said, would have prevented Al-Ittihad from being drawn into a tense conclusion.

The victory came after Youssef En-Nesyri struck with a powerful direct free-kick in the final stages, giving Al-Ittihad its second goal and completing the 2-1 scoreline against Neftchi Fergana.

Al-Ittihad’s listed schedule also includes a Saudi Pro League fixture involving Abha on 30 October 2026. The club is then due to face Tractor in the AFC Champions League Elite on 02 November 2026, while Neftchi is also listed for action in the competition.