Al Hilal manager Leonardo Jardim bemoaned his team’s inability to take their chances in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, saying the focus now shifts to sealing third spot in Abu Dhabi this weekend. The Saudi Arabian side, the reigning Asian champions, were <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/02/09/romelu-lukaku-strike-against-al-hilal-earns-weary-chelsea-fifa-club-world-cup-final-spot/" target="_blank">defeated 1-0 by their European counterparts</a> at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday night, with Romelu Lukaku’s first-half goal proving decisive. Competing in the tournament for only the second time, Hilal pushed for an equaliser in the second half, with Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga making two standout stops to deny them. Hilal now take on African champions Al Ahly in the third-place play-off on Saturday, at Al Nahyan Stadium. Speaking directly after the Chelsea defeat, Jardim said: “In the second half we took on more risk on the ball, we were able to better control the match, we created good goal-scoring opportunities and in football there's no justice. “But based on what the teams presented on the pitch, I think the result could have been fairer. From the first to the second half, in strategy we obtained more control of a match. The difference was the efficacy for sure, because the scoring situations in one way or another happened, but Chelsea was more effective. We were less effective and that's why we lost 1-0. “We no longer have a chance to be champions and now we have to recover the team, and make some changes to some of the players to be able to play the third-place match.” Jardim refused to blame full-back Yasser Al Shahrani for his team’s concession. The Saudi international did not anticipate quickly enough that Kai Havertz’s cross would evade centre-back Ali Al Bulaihi, with the ball inadvertently bouncing off Al Shahrani and falling to Lukaku. “Football is a game of playing individually, but defeats and losses are the group,” Jardim said. “I'm sure the player was unsatisfied - he could have done it in a different manner, but he was surprised with that situation and that's why the ball goes into the goalscoring opportunity. “But when we lose and when we win we are all together.” On Saturday’s opponents Ahly, who on Tuesday <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/02/08/palmeiras-add-to-egyptian-woes-with-fifa-club-world-cup-win-over-al-ahly/" target="_blank">lost 2-0 in their semi-final against Palmeiras</a>, Jardim said: “I went to watch the Palmeiras match with Al Ahly and I think it's a team with quality and technical skills. They like to take on the match. "It would be a good fight, I'm sure. This is not the match we wanted to play, we wanted to play the final. But it will be a good match. For both teams, it will be a third match in seven days and that's why we need to rest in order to not have injuries for important matches that we have in the rest of February.”
