Firas Al-Braikan, the Saudi national team striker, and Karrar Nabil Al-Janat, the Iraqi national team player, won the “Arab Diyar” awards for best player in the opening of the second round of the Gulf 27 competitions.
Al-Braikan's selection came after he led the Saudi team to victory over Oman with three unanswered goals, as he scored two goals during the match.
In the other confrontation, Karar Nabil was crowned the best player after the Iraqi team won over Kuwait 3-2, in a match that saw five goals.
The “Arab Diyar” award is given to the best player in each match in the Gulf Championship competitions hosted by the city of Jeddah during the period from September 23 to October 6.
Moroccan Tariq Al-Saktiwi, the coach of the Omani national team, acknowledged the right of the Saudi national team to win 3-0 in the second round of the group stage of the Gulf Cup “Gulf 27”.
Al-Saktiwi said during the press conference after the confrontation: “The result is frankly great, and everyone feels uncomfortable because we wanted to achieve victory.” In the first half we were very bad, and we gave the Saudi team the first and second goals. In the second half, our performance improved, and that could have given us a moral and psychological boost, but the result was disappointing, and we still have a third match in which we seek to correct the mistakes.”
In response to a question about not fielding a second striker in the starting lineup, he explained: “The question includes purely technical matters, and the coach is the one responsible for identifying the capabilities of his players, and these are self-evident things in the world of football. The most important thing is to talk about the absence of Amjad Al-Harithi, who we were not able to include due to injury, in addition to the injury of some of the young players who were supposed to be with us.”
He continued: “In the first half, the opponent was better than us in terms of physical and agility, and perhaps the last match against Iraq exhausted us. Confronting the Saudi team required very high levels mentally and physically, in addition to winning bilateral struggles in the air and ground, which tipped the balance in favor of the Saudi team. Despite the harsh result, it will not change the methodology of our work. If the dream is a goal, it requires hard work, and the elements we chose were based on the available options.”
He continued: “I thanked the players because they gave everything they had, and they did not skimp on their spirit and generosity on the field. In the second half, we changed our tactics and finished the match with three defenders. We could have come back if we had scored a goal that would restore hope of achieving a draw, but the desire and strength of the Saudi team prevented that.”
He continued: “As I said, things are good for us in the future. With commitment and responsibility, we are trying to correct our mistakes. As a coach, things are normal for me. After each match, I conduct a careful reading to see what can be developed in the team I coach, even if I am victorious. I always see things from an optimistic perspective, according to what is required by the purely professional aspect, as football tolerates loss and victory, and this does not prevent the presence of a constant desire to develop, whether on the individual or group level.”
Regarding the changes in the defense line and the extent of the impact of the lack of harmony on the reception of the Saudi team’s two goals, Al-Saktiwi said: “There was only one change, and Al-Bariki suffered from great fatigue, and he felt uncomfortable yesterday, and he also faced some difficulties last year. I think the way he made us competitive was pressure and winning fights, and he had physical flexibility. “We had no problem with concentration, but when you are not physically good, it can cause problems with concentration.”
Regarding the chances of the Omani national team in the tournament, he said: “We hope that the Omani national team will not continue to depend on a stroke of luck. We may have lost today, but as long as there is hope and we are still in the competition, we will not give up. We have to analyze the reasons for the defeat, hope to develop and improve, and be realistic about the problems we have and the appropriate solutions to them.”
Regarding the time he needs to impose his style with the Oman national team, he answered: “There is no specific time for the coach to impose his style. The matter is a combination and harmony between the coach and the players. We made good steps in six months, during which we participated in five camps, despite the circumstances we faced in changing players and the level of homogeneity.”
Tariq Al-Saktiwi concluded his speech by pointing to the gains of this experience, saying: “This year was exceptional for Omani football, and it made the Omani player arrive in the best shape for this tournament, and the steps we took for me were great. These matches are very important to me, and facing Saudi Arabia gave me insight into the players’ capabilities and how to manage my training for them, in addition to other lessons we benefited from.”
