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.
After reaching the final of the twenty-seventh Gulf Cup, sports memory recalls images of the golden generation of the Saudi national team, which inaugurated its glories in the ancient tournament, where the national formations were crowded with heavy names and great weight on the field.
In the finals and decisive matches of the 1994, 2002, and 2003 tournaments, the Saudi squad was distinguished by names as big as players: Sami Al-Jaber, Mohammed Al-Deayea, Fouad Anwar, and Fahd Al-Harifi, then Nawaf Al-Temyat, Mohammed Nour, and Yasser Al-Qahtani. These names were not just tactical elements in the coaches’ lineup, but rather “super” stars who possessed individual prestige and the ability to resolve complex confrontations with one touch.
This individual momentum did not stop with the first three generations of coronation, but rather extended for many years during which the leadership figure of the team was formed in the 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2019 finals, with the participation of football figures such as Osama Hawsawi, Saud Kariri, Tayseer Al-Jassim, Salman Al-Faraj, and Salem Al-Dossary, where the media and public presence was closely linked to the presence of the net star who was in the spotlight, and whose shoulders bore the weight of expectations. And pressure during major appointments; This always gave Al-Akhdar a unique character that intimidated competitors before the starting whistle.
On the other hand, the Saudi national team enters the 2026 Gulf Cup final against its Emirati counterpart with a completely different scene that reflects a radical shift in the philosophy of building the group, as the current lineup is devoid of first-class names or players who are classified as net stars according to “super star” standards. The current circumstances have produced a lineup whose strength depends on the elements of passion, evidential desire, and collective spirit, far from relying on individualism or a loud public name that plays the role of the usual savior.
This contrast between the past and the present puts the anticipated final under the microscope of artistic and media comparison. While yesterday's finals were managed with the skill of experts and the weight of the names that were experienced at the summits, today's final is fought by a young battalion armed with systemic integration and tactical discipline, in an attempt to redefine the concept of sporting success and to confirm that the strength of the "Green" lies in its shirt and its historical identity, and is not limited to the presence of specific brilliant names.
The sports street is eagerly looking forward to seeing whether this group, devoid of a popular star, is able to make a real difference and write a new chapter in the records of the beloved tournament, as this match gives the promising group the opportunity to prove that the fighting spirit and collective effort sometimes outweigh individual solutions, and that podiums do not necessarily require the presence of a “super” player as much as it requires a group that knows how to win the finals.
The decisive confrontation against the Emirates does not merely represent a competition for a new Gulf championship to be added to the coffers of Saudi football, but rather a real test of the extent of the success of betting on collectiveness in the face of a history filled with immortal names, as this generation seeks to inaugurate its own stardom from the big door, and to move from the category of the young squad to embracing glory and returning the absent continental title to the corridors of Riyadh.
