Khalid Essa: I Extend My Gratitude to The Team Presidency for Their Trust in My Capabilities Despite That Some People Demanded to Substitute Me
The Star of The Match That Brought Saudi Al-Hilal and UAE Al-Ain Together
Khalid Essa, the winner of the match star trophy after his team’s match vs Saudi Al-Hilal, said along the match’s evaluative press conference: “I thank Allah Al-Mighty for everything, I also thank everyone who stood besides me so I can overcome the circumstances that came with the decline of my performance starting from the beginning of the season, in the time when some people demanded that I must have been substituted, but the club’s presidency trusted in my capabilities and asserted that I will come back stronger. I also thank the coaching staff, management staff, the team manager, and everyone who supported me and cheered for me from the team’s fans, for their support, so I had the capability to restore my performance once more.”
In response to the question over the reason behind his wasting time all over the match duration, he said: “I did not waste any time and reality proves that I dealt with the match with the needed experience because I am the older in terms of age at the my team’s squad. Most of the names that you can see, their participation in AFC Champions League in this current edition is considered the first participation for them. In light of Saudi Al-Hilal full attack we were required to show our concentration and deal with the required calmness, so we can successfully accomplish our task.”
Commenting on a question over which match was the most difficult for them, was it the first leg match or the second leg match, he said: “In my opinion, I think that the second leg match was the most difficult for the two teams, because the sought after goals were clear, and every team was well aware of what was required from them to be able to decisively claim the qualification ticket to the final match of AFC Champions League.”
