The Irish coach of Al-Qadisiyah, Brendan Rodgers, revealed the real reason behind the exclusion of the Portuguese star who plays for the team, Otavio, from the squad that played the tough match against Al-Taawon, which ended in a positive draw, raising many questions in the sports community and among the club’s fans.

In the post-match press conference on Saturday evening, Rodgers explained with complete transparency that Otavio's absence was not due to injury or lack of fitness, emphasizing that the player was fully available to participate. The Irish manager indicated that the decision was based on the Professional Football League's regulations regarding the number of foreign players allowed in the matchday squad, which necessitated a tactical decision to exclude him in the interest of the team's tactical balance in this particular match.

The Al-Qadisiyah coach stressed in his speech that the technical staff always looks for the most suitable and best option for each match individually, taking into account the characteristics of the opponent and the style of play, which this time necessitated sacrificing the efforts of the Portuguese star in order to comply with the legal number of foreigners.

The impact of the draw in the Roshen League race

In terms of the result, Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Taawoun played to a 1-1 draw in the 24th round of the Saudi Professional League. While this result added a point to each team's tally, it also intensified the competition for a top-four finish in the league standings.

With this draw, Al-Qadisiyah raised their points tally to 54, maintaining their fourth-place position. This stage of the league is of paramount importance, as the team seeks to close the gap with their direct rivals to secure a spot in continental competitions. Al-Qadisiyah currently trails Al-Hilal, who occupy third place, by only four points, and Al-Ahli, who hold second place, by five points, making the upcoming rounds crucial knockout matches.

Coaches face challenges with the foreign player roster

This event highlights the significant challenges facing coaches in the Saudi League, where regulations mandate a balance between big names and the team's tactical needs on the pitch. Rotating foreign players and selecting the optimal squad for each match is one of the most difficult tasks, requiring a thorough analysis of the league's dynamics and the strengths of opponents to ensure maximum utilization of all available resources without disrupting team cohesion.

Inter Milan successfully overcame the effects of their recent continental setback, securing a valuable and well-deserved 2-0 victory over Genoa at home on Saturday evening in the 27th round of the Italian Serie A. With this win, the Nerazzurri continue their steady march towards clinching the Scudetto title, widening the gap with their closest rivals.

Restoring confidence and pulling further ahead

This victory served as a strong response from Simone Inzaghi's men after the bitter disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League play-off round by Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt last Tuesday. The team demonstrated its resilience by refusing to let that setback derail its impressive domestic campaign.

With this result, Inter Milan increased their points tally to 67, maintaining their comfortable lead at the top of the table with a 13-point advantage over their city rivals and closest challengers, AC Milan, who face a potentially tricky match against Cremonese on Sunday. This victory marks Inter's seventh consecutive league win and their fourteenth in their last 15 matches, having only dropped points with a single draw against Napoli (2-2), reflecting their complete dominance of the domestic league this season.

Details of the match and the stars' brilliance

The match was dominated by the home side, with Federico Dimarco opening the scoring in the 31st minute with a superb volley from a tight angle after a pinpoint pass from veteran Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In the second half, substitute Hakan Çalhanoğlu, returning from injury, extended his team's lead with a well-taken penalty in the 69th minute.

The match was not without its excitement and missed opportunities, as the crossbar denied Mkhitaryan's powerful shot, while Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bailló made a brilliant save from Marcus Thuram's header and from Luis Henrique's shot that rebounded off the post before resulting in the decisive penalty. Meanwhile, Genoa's points tally remained at 27, placing them 14th in the standings, and their poor record at the San Siro stadium continued, as they have not won against Inter there since the second leg of the 1993-94 season.

Napoli snatch a dramatic victory, and Como continues its European dream

In other matches in the same round, defending champions Napoli returned to winning ways with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Verona. Napoli owe this win to substitute Belgian international Romelu Lukaku, who scored the decisive goal in the 96th minute, after Danish midfielder Rasmus Hjølund had opened the scoring early on. This victory lifted Antonio Conte's team to 53 points in third place, boosting their hopes of securing a Champions League spot.

On the other hand, Como continued its strong performances with a 3-1 victory over Lecce, raising its tally to 48 points in fifth place temporarily, igniting the struggle for the places qualifying for European competitions, and moving two points away from Roma, which is awaiting a fiery summit against Juventus.

Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning champions, continued their march towards retaining the French Ligue 1 title, capitalizing on Lens' stumble in the best possible way. The Parisian club extended their lead at the top of the table to a comfortable four points after securing a hard-fought but valuable 1-0 victory away to Le Havre on Saturday in the 24th round of matches.

This victory further solidified the position of Luis Enrique's men, who capitalized on Lens's 1-1 draw against Strasbourg on Friday. With this win, the Parisian club reaffirmed its historical dominance over Le Havre, who haven't tasted victory against the capital club for over two decades, specifically since October 30, 1999, highlighting the significant technical and historical gap between the two teams.

Paris Saint-Germain owes this victory to its brilliant young star, Bradley Barcola, who scored the only goal of the match and his ninth league goal this season, benefiting from a perfect assist from South Korean Kang-in Lee in the 37th minute. Despite the team having a chance to double the score via a penalty kick in the 79th minute, Desiree Douet failed to convert it into a goal, leaving the result pending until the final whistle, which declared the Parisians' lead at the top.

Elsewhere in the competition, Rennes continued their strong performances under new coach Franck Eze, boosting their hopes of securing a Champions League spot for next season. Rennes achieved an important victory over Toulouse with a single goal scored by Arnaud Nordin with a header in the 27th minute. This win confirms the team's progress following recent coaching changes, which saw the dismissal of Senegalese coach Habib Beye, who subsequently moved to Marseille, and the appointment of Eze, who has led the team to consecutive victories, bringing Rennes' points tally to 40 and placing them fifth in the standings.

In Monaco, the principality's team successfully overcame the effects of their recent European exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, securing a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Angers. American Folarin Bolajan and substitute Simon Adingra shared the goals, lifting Monaco to 37 points and seventh place, thus intensifying the battle for European qualification in the final stretch of the league season.