Al Ittihad’s victory saw the Saudi Arabian club top Group C with 15 points, while Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan finished five adrift in second place with their Round of 16 hopes hanging in the balance.
Gallardo, while pleased with the win, said he is hoping for the return of several players, with Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante both not featuring on Monday.

“Kante is a great and influential player but, unfortunately, I have not yet been able to work with him in training and we hope that he will participate in the coming days. Benzema is also a great and influential player and I hope to have him back as well.

“I would like to have all the players available for the FIFA Club World Cup. These matches before the World Cup, I would have liked the team to be complete but, unfortunately, we were not able to due to injuries.”Al Ittihad play New Zealand’s Auckland City in their FIFA World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 first round clash on December 11.

Gallardo, however, was satisfied with the performance of his team in a match which Sepahan had to win to boost their knockout stage hopes. “We expected the match to be difficult against a physically strong team. I think, within this context, I must congratulate the players for the victory and enduring all these circumstances.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us, and in football, winning is good for enhancing self-confidence and moving forward.”