“Al-Nassr” has great respect for “Arkadag” and their progress to the next round is not yet guaranteed, said the Saudi Arabian team's head coach, Jorge Jesus, after their 1-0 victory in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie.

"We're not yet guaranteed a place in the next round; we have a return match in Riyadh. We have the utmost respect for our opponents today and will prepare for the match," the Portuguese coach said at the post-match press conference.

The match took place on Wednesday in Ashgabat. “Al-Nassr” striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored the only goal in the 19th minute.

Jesus praised the match's conditions: "I want to thank all the fans here at the stadium. The atmosphere here is very good. This is a very good stadium, this is a very good country. All the conditions for football have been created here."

When asked about the lineup for the return match, the coach emphasized: "I can't say what lineup will be against “Arkadag”, as we still have a game in our league." On February 14, “Al-Nassr” will face “Al-Fateh” away in the Saudi Arabian Championship.

Goal scorer Abdullah Al-Hamdan, named Man of the Match, expressed gratitude for the warm welcome: "It was a very tough game, but the most important thing for us is that we won. “Arkadag” is a good, strong opponent. But we still have the return leg in Riyadh, and I hope it goes our way."

The AFC Champions League Round of 16 return leg between “Arkadag” and “Al-Nassr” will take place on February 18. The winner of this match will play the winner of the match between “Al-Zawraa” (Iraq) and “Al-Wasl” (UAE) in the quarterfinals.