Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, the Saudi national team player, confirmed the readiness of “Al-Akhdar” to face the Emirates in the final of the Arabian Gulf Football Cup “Gulf 27”, stressing that the players are looking forward to ending a wait that has lasted 23 years since the last Saudi crowning of the Gulf title.
Speaking to the media before the final, Abu Al-Shamat said: “A great final that brings together two great teams, and we are ready, and, God willing, we will rise to the occasion and win the cup.”
Regarding the absence of the Gulf title from the Saudi national team since 2003, he said: “God willing, we will break this rule, and it will be our first championship after 23 years.”
Abu Al-Shamat stressed the value that the coronation represents for the current generation of Saudi national team players, adding: “There is nothing better than achieving an achievement for your country, as this is what a player can be most proud of. When you become a hero and say that you have achieved an achievement for your country, this is history, and God willing, we will write this history and live up to the occasion.”
Regarding the fans’ demands to obtain tickets for the final match, he explained that the players’ focus is on the technical aspect, and said: “This is not our role, as there are those responsible for this matter.” We are focusing on the stadium, the coach’s tactics and the final, and we hope that the fans will attend and fill the stadium.”
Abu Al-Shamat sent a message to the Saudi masses, saying: “Support us, and God willing, we will not let you down.”
He ruled out that the fatigue resulting from playing 120 minutes against Qatar in the semi-finals would affect the readiness of the Saudi team, and said: “There is nothing negative, we are ready, and even if we play four or six games, we are ready.”
Greek Georgios Donis, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed that the spirit and combativeness of the players will be the most prominent weapon for “Al-Akhdar” in its quest to win the title of the Arabian Gulf Football Cup “Gulf 27”, when it faces its Emirati counterpart on Tuesday evening in the final match.
Denis said, in the press conference that preceded the confrontation: “The weapon to achieve the championship is the spirit of the players and their fighting spirit,” noting that the team performed well defensively during its campaign, focusing on set pieces on both the offensive and defensive sides.
The Saudi national team is competing in the final after an ideal journey in the group stage, as it topped the first group with a full score after three successive victories over Kuwait, Oman, and Iraq, before surpassing Qatar in the semi-final on penalties, following a continued goalless draw in regular and extra time, to set up a date with the UAE for the championship cup.
Donis touched on the pressure of the matches and the conditions his players faced during the tournament, and said: “In 14 days we played five matches, and we had some injuries, and the weather conditions were difficult,” adding: “It is not easy to play against a team that relies on low defense.”
For his part, Mohammed Kanno, a player for the Saudi national team, confirmed that reaching the final match was among the ambitions of “Al-Akhdar” since the beginning of the tournament, and he said: “We reached the final, and this was our ambition, and God willing, we will achieve the championship.”
Regarding the confrontation with the Emirates, Kanno said: “The Emirati team is strong, and we will follow the coach’s instructions, and, God willing, we will work to make our fans happy.”
Kanu also expressed his hope to resolve the final without reaching penalty kicks, saying: “Penalty kicks are kicks of luck, and the most important thing is that we have reached the final, and God willing, we will not reach it in the final, and we will settle the match.”
The Saudi national team found itself in a different test, when it faced the Qatar national team in the semi-finals of the 27th Gulf Cup, but it succeeded in snatching the ticket to the grand final via penalty kicks, to celebrate a historic night of joy at Al-Enmaa Stadium in Jeddah in the presence of thousands of its fans.
Facing Qatar, the “Asian Champion” in the last edition, was a technical and mental test for this team led by Denis, and a measure of the extent of its development. After a high-level performance with which “Al-Akhdar” ended the group stage, a difficult confrontation came, and Denis admitted this in his press interview after the match. The real test was the extent to which the character and mental presence of the Saudi national team players had reached, and the result was wonderful, as the players did not shake in a stadium that witnessed the presence of more than 51 thousand fans.
The team was not experiencing its best condition in the elimination rounds, as in the last 10 elimination matches it lost 7 matches and won 3, which reflects a state of mind in which the team may not prefer to play in an atmosphere full of pressure. This time, “Al-Akhdar” played the semi-final among its fans and under pressure to break a streak that had lasted 23 years without a crown, but what Denis and his players succeeded in was that they were confident in the plan, with a clear reference on the field, and with great public support, and they actually succeeded in making the fans an additional factor for motivation, not pressure.
Donis said about these pressures and personality before the confrontation: “Pressure is normal in football, but the most important thing is to believe in the plan and teammates, and this puts the players in a comfortable position to deal with various situations on the field.”
What makes it even more appreciated for the players is that until the last minute the team was trying to score the goal, through successive attacks and constant pressure. On the other hand, Lopetegui decided to defend completely, acknowledging the technical differences, as he said: “We faced the strongest team in the tournament.”
It was clear that Donis's plan was focused on ending the confrontation before reaching the penalty shootout, but this does not mean that the Saudi national team coach did not take the penalty shootout into account. Rather, he and his assistants were on time. What was really remarkable was that the goalkeeper coach and Denis’ assistants analyzed the Qatari team in a remarkable way, as guidance was present in every kick by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, specifically where he was going according to the Qatari team’s kicker.
The Qatari national team players executed 6 kicks, if we count Khourji Boualem’s kick, who shot twice after the replay in which Al-Owais took the lead, and the referee ordered a re-execution. The Saudi goalkeeper blocked 4 of 6 kicks, while Al-Moez Ali missed another kick. What gives Al-Owais and the goalkeeping coach an additional distinction is that in the six kicks, Al-Owais went to the shooting spot and followed the ball, which reflects the quality of the analytical reading that the Saudi team succeeded in achieving.
The Saudi fans were an important factor in the confrontation, as well as in the penalty shootout that was played on the northern side of the stadium, as the Saudi fans and the fans’ association were present in the northern seats behind the goal for the first time historically in Jeddah. The referee had drawn lots to determine where the penalty kicks would be taken, and when he pointed to the side of the goal where the Saudi fans were, the fans screamed loudly, similar to those screams that come when goals are scored, because they realize the extent of their influence in these situations.
Lopetegui, coach of the Qatar national team, said about this: “We faced a very strong crowd, which was an influential factor, and they had the advantage of the crowd. In training, we worked on penalty kicks better, but what happened in the confrontation in terms of missing 3 kicks is due to the psychological pressure that occurred.”
Before the penalty shootout, Donis took the pressure off his players when he gathered them on the field, where he asked all the team members to rally around each other, along with the assistants and the technical and administrative staff. He said about that meeting, in response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about what he told the players: “I told them: You have a good personality, you deserve it, have fun, because you are doing an excellent job throughout these periods. Let's go with confidence, and I am completely confident that we can go to the final.
