Portuguese Hélio Souza, coach of the Kuwait national team, acknowledged the difficulty of the confrontation against the Saudi national team, which ended with Al-Akhdar winning by one goal. He said during the press conference after the match: It was a difficult match as we expected, specifically in its first half. But we were able to implement our strategies.
He added: We are still striving to develop and have the ability to play the 90 minutes in a sustainable and integrated manner. I would like to emphasize that the players did their best and deserved all the support from the Kuwaiti fans who were with us. We could have achieved victory, but we were not able to do so.
The Kuwaiti coach continued, explaining the technical and experience differences between the two teams: Saudi Arabia was simply stronger than us today. We have different ideas and players who are still discovering this level, and they will become better day by day and learn from their older colleagues. I am not thinking much about the result now, but rather about the experience and time that will make the Kuwaiti team better. The Saudi national team has much more experience through its repeated participation in World Cups, while our national team does not have this experience.
Souza touched on the tactical and physical aspects affecting the course of the match, saying: If you want to put pressure on your opponent, you have to put pressure on him in his areas, and this requires physical effort in the first place and then mental focus, which is what we are working to build and establish in the national team. If we can implement this, it will be difficult for our competition to match us, and it was difficult for us to continue to deliver what we planned throughout the course of the match.
Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Green goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi suffered an injury to the elbow, which raised a state of anticipation regarding his readiness for the upcoming matches.
The Greek coach of the Saudi national team, Denis, explained during the press conference that Al-Aqidi’s injury was not in the head, but in the hand, noting that the technical and medical staff are awaiting the results of the tests to determine its seriousness.
"We will see how serious the injury is. If the problem is major, we will have to replace him," Donis said.
On Thursday, Al-Aqidi is scheduled to undergo comprehensive medical examinations and a thorough examination to determine the nature of the injury and the degree of its impact, in addition to evaluating his ability to participate with the national team during the coming period.
It is expected that the results of the tests will reveal the appropriate treatment program and the duration of the goalkeeper’s absence, in addition to deciding his position on participating in the upcoming matches of the tournament, amid public anticipation to know the developments in his health condition, especially since he is considered one of the important options on the Saudi national team’s roster.
Moroccan Tariq Al-Saktiwi, coach of the Omani national team, confirmed that the confrontation that brought them together in Iraq was difficult given the differences in the preparation and stability phase between the two teams, pointing out that Iraq has a group of players who have been working together for a long time, in addition to the stability of the technical staff, while the Omani national team is still in the stage of building harmony among its members.
Al-Saktiwi said that his team did not enter the match in the desired manner, but it showed a strong reaction after the break, and succeeded in implementing the instructions and taking advantage of the parties, praising the players’ character and their ability to deal with the difficulty of the confrontation and the circumstances surrounding it.
He added that the spirit that appeared inside the locker room represents one of the most notable gains of the Omani national team, stressing the presence of a state of respect and dedication in representing the national team.
The Oman coach expressed his pride in what his players presented, especially during the last minutes, pointing out that the team is still in the formation stage, and that obtaining a point against a strong competitor represents a beginning that can be built upon in the upcoming matches.
On the other hand, Australian Graham Arnold, coach of the Iraqi national team, believed that his team was capable of developing with the successive matches, pointing out that his players had opportunities during the last quarter of the confrontation, and he also gave the opportunity to a number of new elements.
Arnold stressed his belief in the Iraqi national team's ability to perform better in the upcoming matches, in light of the technical staff's efforts to raise the level of harmony and benefit from the elements that participated in the first match.
