Moroccan Jamal Al-Salami, coach of Al-Fateh team, confirmed that his team’s victory over Al-Hazm represents an important step towards restoring balance and getting out of the difficult situation the team is going through, praising the strength of character of his players and their reaction after the heavy loss to Al-Ahly by 4 goals.
Al-Salami said, during the press conference after facing Al-Hazm in the Saudi Professional League: “We achieved a valuable victory, and we hope that it will be the beginning of a new start for the team, especially since we faced a strong competitor in a match that was not easy, and we conceded an early goal, but the players showed a positive reaction and succeeded in returning.”
He added: “We still have a lot of work to do, especially on the physical side, as in the second half we gave Al-Hazm opportunities to reach our goal, but our goalkeeper was present in the decisive moments, and after scoring the second goal we made a number of changes, and the substitute players succeeded in providing the required addition.”
The Moroccan coach praised the fighting spirit shown by his players, stressing that the team succeeded in overcoming the psychological effects of the previous loss to Al-Ahly, and said: “The players showed strength of character and a strong reaction. They were in a difficult situation after the four-way loss to Al-Ahly, but today they proved their ability to overcome difficult circumstances, and we are still waiting for the best from them, and we look forward to getting out of this situation as soon as possible.”
Regarding the technical aspects of the confrontation, Al-Salami explained that his team lacked offensive effectiveness during the first half, while Al-Hazm suffered from the same problem in the second half, adding: “This is the nature of football, and we realize that some elements lack certain advantages, but we are trying to compensate for that with teamwork and providing our best as a group.”
The Al-Fateh coach revealed that he met with the players to talk about the importance of the next stage, stressing the necessity of treating every confrontation as a final match. He said: “We met with the players and assured them that every match for us is a final, and we must continue working and fighting in order to achieve positive results and get out of this impasse as quickly as possible.”
Al-Salami concluded his speech by emphasizing that the victory, despite its moral importance, does not mean the end of the challenges facing the team, indicating that Al-Fateh needs to continue developing technically and physically and build on this victory during the upcoming matches.
Portuguese Jose Gomez, coach of the Gulf team, confirmed that his players deserved the victory in recognition of the effort they made during the match, noting that the defensive organization and exploitation of opportunities contributed to achieving an ideal result, and he thanked the club’s fans for their continued support.
Gomez said in a statement to the media: “We were organized defensively, and we were able to create dangerous opportunities and score two goals. The players deserve this victory for the effort they made, and I extend my thanks to the fans, whom we always strive to make happy, and thank God the result was perfect.”
In his response to the news circulating about his possible return to Egyptian Zamalek, Gomez denied the validity of that news, stressing that his focus is entirely on his current mission with the Gulf, and working to build a strong group.
The Portuguese coach explained that what is being circulated in the Egyptian media about his future is not based on facts, saying: “Following the news, the Egyptian media, and the rumors that talk about me make me move from one place to another, and there are crazy things.” If a story was put forward now and passed from one person to another, we would see a different story every time, so what about the presence of 120 million Egyptians?!
He added: “These rumors are not true, and the stories are all fabricated, and my focus is entirely with the Gulf Club to build a strong group.”
Regarding the upcoming confrontation against Al-Fateh, Gomez described the match as difficult, recalling his previous experience with the team, which witnessed his success in leading him to stay and achieve sixth place, considering that an achievement.
He said: “It will be a difficult match, and I gave everything I had while I was there, and we were able to stay and reach sixth place, and this is an achievement.”
The Gulf coach concluded his speech by stressing that he seeks to score more points and work to develop the team continuously, adding: “In the Gulf, I am trying to reach more points and develop the team day after day. Today we achieved victory, and this result is a gift to the club’s fans, and I thank them for their continued support.”
Al-Qadisiyah is looking to take the top spot in the Saudi Professional League “temporarily,” when it hosts its counterpart, Abha, on Friday evening, at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, as part of the ninth round of competitions, facing a gathering of two teams with different ambitions in the ranking table.
Al-Qadisiyah enters the confrontation in second place with 19 points, two points behind Al-Hilal, which leads with 21 points, as the opportunity appears favorable for the Al-Sharqawi team to seize the lead if it achieves victory, taking advantage of Al-Hilal’s absence from this round’s competitions, after its confrontation with Riyadh was postponed.
Al-Qadisiyah is going through a distinguished period in terms of its local results, after achieving a broad victory over Al-Khuloud with five goals to no return in the last round, confirming its ability to compete in the advanced positions, and to continue to put pressure on Al-Hilal in the race for leadership.
The team returns to local competitions after tying away from home with Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, with a score of 1-1, in the elite AFC Champions League competitions, in a confrontation that Al-Qadisiyah was close to deciding in its favor, before conceding the equalizer from a penalty kick in the final minutes.
Al-Qadisiyah, under the leadership of its Northern Irish coach, Brendan Rodgers, is looking forward to quickly overcoming the effects of the Asian draw and regaining the tone of victories, benefiting from the technical superiority enjoyed by the team, along with the ground staff and the audience.
Rodgers is counting on a group of prominent names that contributed to the team’s positive results, led by Mexican Julián Quiñones, Italian striker Matteo Retegui, and Dutchman Tijani Reynders, in addition to the Saudi duo Musab Al-Jawir and Muhammad Abu Al-Shamat.
These options give the coach the ability to diversify offensive solutions, whether through movements deep into the opponent’s defense or investing in spaces on the flanks, especially since Al-Qadisiyah showed great offensive effectiveness during its last match in the league against Al-Khuloud.
Despite the technical and ranking differences that favor the hosts, Rodgers realizes the importance of dealing with the confrontation with caution, and avoiding wasting opportunities, especially after the recent Asian draw, which revealed the team’s need to settle matches early and not give the competitors the opportunity to return.
On the other hand, Abha returns to the competition atmosphere after its absence from the last round, following the postponement of its match against Al-Faisaly, amid hopes that the pause period has given the team an opportunity to rearrange its cards and address the mistakes that have plagued it since the beginning of the season.
Abha is in last place with two points, after being unable to achieve any victory during its previous seven matches, finding itself facing a difficult challenge against one of the most prominent teams competing for the top of the league.
Abha had ended its campaign before the break with a goalless draw against Al-Diriyah, a result that stopped a series of stumbles, but it was not enough to cause a tangible shift in its position in the standings.
The team knows that continuing to settle for draws will not help it move away from the bottom of the standings, which makes it required to achieve a positive result that restores confidence to its players and gives it a morale boost before continuing its journey in the next rounds.
The defensive organization will be one of the most prominent challenges facing Abha, in light of the attacking power possessed by Al-Qadisiyah, while the team needs to invest in the few opportunities it may have against the hosts, if it wants to achieve a positive result.
The confrontation carries double importance for both parties. Al-Qadisiyah is looking for three points that might give it the top spot in the standings and confirm its seriousness in competing for the title, while Abha clings to the hope of achieving a surprise that will end its drought of victories and give it a different start after the break.
