Despite their weak start in the tournament, they suffered a 3-1 shock defeat against Kuwait, Saudi Arabia managed and controlled their presence in the tournament as they knocked out the hosts Qatar in the semifinals on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia, who are one of the heavyweights of Asian football, reached the final after beating Qatar 1-0 in a hardly fought semifinal. Abdullah al Hamdan was the star for Saudi as he netted the winner.
Felix Sanchez, Qatar head coach, failed in his strategy to penetrate the Saudi defence after a series of missed scoring attempts. Coach Herve Renard, on the other hand, managed the Saudi Arabian tactics well and closed all the spaces and strengthened the midfield as Qatari strikers faced challenges to break their back line.
The 20-year-old Abdullah al Hamdan clinched the man-of-the-match award after he netted the all-important goal in the match. He led the team to the final against Bahrain on Sunday. Al Hamdan impressed in the match and produced a top performance in the forward line. The Frenchman Herve Renard congratulated his players for their top performance in the tough game. “It was a very difficult match and the players were very focused to manage the win. We deserved reaching the final station of the tournament,” Renard added.
The head coach of the Saudi Arabia team said this is the first appearance for him but he is wary about this tournament. “This is the crucial time for the players to be more focused to clinch the title. We beat Bahrain in the group stage but definitely everything will change in the final. Salman al Faraj will be back in the next game and his appearance in the squad will give better technical resistance in the squad,” he added.
Renard said Al Faraj and Al Dawsari’s absence in the game affected Saudi’s performance. “Due to this absence, I played in a defensive style more. Imagine on the other side if Qatar played without the top strikers including the best Asian player Akram Afif, Al Moez Ali and others. It will be difficult for them.”
Saudi coach appreciated the hardwork done by Qatar for hosting the Fifa World Cup 2022. “Aspire Academy is a crucial place for the junior players to gain the required technical skills for developing their carrier in football for the future and become top players,” Renard concluded.
Qatar coach Sanchez praised the players’ performance despite the loss. “Congratulations to Saudi Arabia team. We did everything and dominated the game especially the second half. However, we failed to convert the scoring attempts in the box. We missed the accuracy in the final touch and the hard work should be continued for the future.” The Spanish coach added.
Sanchez stated Saudi Arabia’s water tight defence in the second half made it difficult for him.
“The opponent played with ten defenders in the second half and they closed all the spaces. We diversified our play system from different directions but again missed the scoring part. There is a change between the Asian Cup and the Gulf Cup competitions. We faced top teams in the Gulf Cup and are doing great in the Asian qualifier and the strikers created many opportunities except scoring goals.” The Spanish coach said he is happy with the players’ performance during the game. “I am proud of the players and the efforts they made in both the halfs,” he concluded
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
