Greek Georgios Donis, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed that “Al-Akhdar” aims to appear with a clear and strong identity against Qatar, in the semi-finals of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf 27), stressing the need to deal confidently with the pressures of knockout matches, while describing the Qatari team as perhaps the “strongest opponent” that his team will face in the tournament.
Donis said, during the press conference preceding the confrontation: “We continue to work in preparation for the match, and we will face a team that includes players with great expertise and experience. “It is our priority to perform better, play with passion and the way we show our abilities, in order to reach the final.”
He added: “It is good that we continue to perform as we showed during previous matches, and we must always have confidence. We continue to work in the same way we do before any confrontation, and the Qatari national team has great experience and may be the strongest opponent, so we have to control and focus.”
Regarding the negative history of the Saudi national team in some qualifying matches and how to deal with the pressures that accompany it, Denis said: “Pressure is natural, because players are human beings and are affected, but what is important is that they believe in the plan and in their teammates. When the player is ready, he will be mentally and technically present to deal with anything that happens on the field.”
He continued: “We analyze everything, and what is most important to us is internal stability, a clear mentality, and the ability to adapt to any situation we face. We must prepare the team to have a clear identity, in addition to steadfastness and flexibility against competitors, especially since we are now facing a knockout match. We do not want the players to feel pressure, but rather to play with great confidence.”
The Greek coach touched on the physical condition of his players after the pressure of the matches, saying: “In six days we played three hat-tricks, and of course that was not easy. We have to look at the readiness of the players, and we were not lucky to have all the elements available. Zakaria Hawsawi will not be with us in the upcoming matches, and we will look into Hassan Timbukti’s condition before making a decision regarding his participation.”
Donis pointed out the importance of choosing players capable of maintaining a high level, adding: “We made a decision to rely on players who are able to play with high intensity, and this is important to maintain passion and competitiveness, and we must make the appropriate decisions.”
Regarding the work he has done since assuming leadership of the Saudi national team, Denis said: “I have been in Saudi Arabia since 2015 when I started with Al Hilal. Since my arrival in the national team, I have tried to analyze what happened over the past ten years, and find out what aspects need improvement, whether in set pieces, possession, or investing in strengths.
He added: “We did not have a long time, but the positive side is that the players respond and try to do their best to implement ideas, and this mental factor saved us some time. We want to create a team that presses hard and has great energy both offensively and defensively.”
He continued: “Looking at the past three matches, I think we are doing a good job. The next step is to control the ball, make the right decisions and move appropriately. We want, step by step, to create a strong team that maintains its standards and gradually develops in the same spirit until we reach our goal.”
Donis stressed the importance of crowd support, saying: “The fans created a wonderful atmosphere in the stadium, and we want to play the match in a full stadium.”
For his part, Abdullah Al Salem, the Saudi national team striker, described the confrontation with Qatar as different from the group stage matches, and said: “Tomorrow’s match is different because it is in the semi-finals. “We will face a team that has great experience and has previously won the Asian Cup, but we are also a strong team and we are looking forward to reaching the final.”
Regarding the competition on the offensive line, Al Salem said: “Everyone contributes to scoring goals, and I crowned the team’s work by scoring the goal. We have high-level players, which is positive for the coach. Whether you participate as a starter or are on the bench, the goal is the same, which is to represent the national team in the best way and achieve the championship.”
Saudi team player Omar Nada clinched the gold medal in the under-94 kg jiu-jitsu competition, within the 20th Asian Games “Nagoya 2026”, after deciding the final confrontation against South Korean Park Seungho by submission, giving Saudi Arabia its second gold medal in the tournament.
Nada imposed his superiority in the final bout, before ending the confrontation with submission, confirming his superiority on his way to the highest Asian podium, and adding a new gold to the Saudi team’s tally in Nagoya.
After his coronation, Nada confirmed that his self-confidence increased as the training continued, noting that he entered the competitions aware of the amount of work he had put in preparing for them, after he had previously achieved a bronze medal in the last edition of the 2022 Asian Games, when he was eighteen years old.
Nada said in an interview with beIN Sports: “My self-confidence increases as I continue to train, and I knew that no one here trained more than me. In the last Games, I was 18 years old and won a bronze medal, so I have continued to train since then, and I waited three years to get here.”
He added: “It is my greatest achievement to win a gold medal in the Asian Games and dedicate this achievement to my country.”
Nada's gold medal raised the Saudi team's tally to 13 medals, with two golds, two silvers, and nine bronzes, placing it in 22nd place in the overall rankings table. The second gold medal came less than 24 hours after the show jumping team was crowned with the gold medal in the team competition, on Thursday, through Ramzi Al-Dahami, Khaled Al-Mabti, Abdul Rahman Al-Rajhi and Saad Al-Ajmi.
Saudi medals were distributed in athletics, equestrian, electronic sports, jiu-jitsu, and karate. Athletics won two bronzes, equestrian gold, e-sports a silver and two bronze, karate a silver and two bronze, while jiu-jitsu raised its tally after Nada’s gold to four medals: one gold and three bronze.
In the women's competition, Emirati Asma Al Hosani added a gold medal in the under-52 kg category for her country, after defeating South Korea's Im Eunju, maintaining the title she achieved in the 2022 Hangzhou edition. The UAE raised its tally to seven gold medals in the tournament, including five in the jiu-jitsu competitions.
