Koulibaly credits Inzaghi for win; Shabab Al Ahli's creativity thrills coach Sousa

Kalidou Koulibaly has credited head coach Simone Inzaghi for instilling renewed belief in the squad after Al Hilal maintained their perfect start to the AFC Champions League Elite with a 3-1 win over Qatar's Al Sadd SC on Tuesday.

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Senegalese Koulibaly, who has rediscovered his form under Inzaghi, played an instrumental role at Kingdom Arena and praised the Italian tactician's influence since his arrival.

"In the Club World Cup, Inzaghi arrived and gave us confidence, especially as we were trying to perform well," said Koulibaly. The head coach has known me since my Napoli days, and I have been trying to perform at my best since the beginning of the season for the fans.

"The match was difficult but we prepared well to score two goals without much difficulty. Even though our level dropped in the second half, we were the better team until the end."

Inzaghi praised Al Hilal's tactical discipline in a match which reinforced Al Hilal's status as one of the favourites to go all the way.

"The match was very good overall. The first half was excellent and we came out with the win and are top of the table," said Inzaghi." We decided to rest Malcom today, but he'll be ready for the next match against Al Ittihad (in the Saudi Pro League)."