Greek coach Georgios Donis, head coach of the Saudi national team, complained about the fatigue affecting his players ahead of the Gulf Cup final against the United Arab Emirates in the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, “Gulf 27.”
اضافة اعلان
Saudi Arabia defeated Qatar 3-1 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation and extra time in their semifinal, played the day before yesterday at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah.
“I congratulate the players on their high-level performance and fighting spirit. They gave everything they had in a difficult match against an experienced opponent that defended very well,” Donis said at the post-match press conference.
“The tournament is short and fatigue has an impact. We deserved to win after our strong performance. We had problems with player fatigue during the match, but I am happy with what happened. The players will put on a strong final, and that is what we expect from them,” he added.
Saudi Arabia will face the UAE tomorrow at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah in the Gulf Cup final.
Regarding the final, the Greek coach said: “We have to take each match one at a time, try to recover well and implement our best strategies in the matches.”
He explained: “We had a specific strategy for today’s match. We had to play differently at the beginning, and in the second half we made some changes.”
“We had to play differently and try to create chances. I think we did not make the right decisions during the match. Playing against a defensive team made things difficult for us. We have to focus on the final step and on ourselves. We need the support of the fans. After the match, I asked the players to thank and congratulate the fans, who had an impact on us during the game. I also told them that we are capable of winning,” he added.
“I do not want to talk about the referee’s decisions. The referee did not see what I saw, and I do not want to discuss this matter. We respect his decisions and everything he does,” Donis said.
He concluded: “Playing five matches without conceding goals is something special” although Saudi Arabia have played only four matches in the tournament “and this is down to the players’ performances, skills and abilities. However, we made a mistake by allowing the opponent to create chances. Step by step, we will build our own identity.”
Meanwhile, Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, Qatar’s head coach, praised Saudi Arabia, describing them as the best team in the Gulf Cup after Qatar’s semifinal defeat.
“We are sad that we did not qualify. We played a difficult match in front of a strong and demanding crowd, and we tried to make some changes to enter the match in the best possible way,” Lopetegui said at the post-match press conference.
“We are very disappointed because of the penalty shootout defeat, but I am proud of the fighting spirit shown by the players. I told them that we played against the best team in the tournament,” he added.
Asked about relying on defense throughout the match, he said: “We had to play defensively. Our team was tired, and the opposing team also played defensively. It was difficult to score against them.”
“Neither team managed to score, and the weather affected the match. I tried to choose players who could fight until the end,” Lopetegui continued.
“In every match, we choose the best players. As a coach, I have to select the right player regardless of names. I made those choices because some players were tired. I selected attacking players, and the substitutions were good during the match,” he said.
“I chose the best players to take the penalties. I told my team that we might reach a penalty shootout, and we played today with a positive spirit,” he added.
“The situation is difficult in penalty shootouts. We trained for them in the final training session and performed well, but today, because of the pressure, we were unable to succeed.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will be looking to end their struggles in finals when they face the UAE in the Gulf Cup final.
Saudi Arabia are seeking their first title in 23 years, having last won the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2003.
Since then, Saudi Arabia have reached five finals across the AFC Asian Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup, but have failed to win any of them.
The first came at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, when Saudi Arabia reached the final as the favorites to win but suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat to Iraq.
The Green Falcons then lost four Gulf Cup finals, beginning with Gulf Cup 19 in 2009, when they were beaten by Oman on penalties.
At Gulf Cup 20 in 2011, Saudi Arabia again lost the final, this time to Kuwait, who won 1-0 in extra time.
Saudi Arabia reached the final again at Gulf Cup 22 in 2014 but lost 2-1 to Qatar in regulation time.
Their most recent final defeat came at Gulf Cup 24 in 2019, when they lost 1-0 to Bahrain.
The Green Falcons will be hoping to avoid extending that unwanted run in Gulf Cup 27, this time against the UAE, who have been producing strong performances in the current edition of the tournament.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
