Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi did not shake hands with his counterpart, Sergio Conceicao, coach of Al Ittihad, after the Saudi Clasico ended with a 2-0 victory for the Blue Wave at the Jewel Stadium, raising many questions about the reason for this.
After the match, Conceicao approached Al Ittihad goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqeeti to offer him moral support following his egregious error in Marcos Leonardo’s second goal. He then engaged in a discussion with the referee and finally went to greet the fans before leaving the field.
Conversely, as soon as the final whistle blew, Simone Inzaghi left the field and did not go to greet Conceicao as usual or wait for him as the visiting team’s coach, as is customary in football.
The media posed the question to Conceicao, and he responded by attacking Inzaghi, saying, “The question should be directed to Inzaghi. We are the home team, and I hold no grudge against him.”
He added, “Perhaps it’s because the last few matches were in my favor, and we’ll meet again in the future. That’s normal.”
He concluded, “Today he left happily, while before, I was the one who left happily.”
Conceicao and Inzaghi have met seven times in their coaching careers. The first was in 2023, while the first was with Porto, and the second was with Inter in the Champions League Round of 16. Last season, they met four times in various Italian competitions during the Portuguese’s time with Milan.
Overall, Inzaghi was never able to outshine Conceicao last season, losing twice and drawing twice. His only victory came against the Portuguese with Porto, 1-0, followed by Friday’s victory with Al-Hilal against Al-Ittihad.
