Greek Giorgos Donis, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed that “Al-Akhdar” deserved to be crowned the “Gulf 27” title, noting that the tournament gave him a greater opportunity to get to know his players and watch their development, stressing that commitment and teamwork were among the most prominent reasons for success.
Donis said in the press conference after the final: “We are very happy, and I congratulate the players. This tournament was important for us, and I watched the players develop and became better acquainted with them. We went through a lot of difficulties and overcame them, and the players were always distinguished by their commitment, and we were the best team in the tournament.”
Regarding the final match, he said: “We scored early and were able to control the course of the match and create many opportunities. We faced difficulties, especially with Firas, Kanno and Al-Dosari playing a lot of minutes amid pressure and fatigue. However, the players gave a wonderful performance, and I am happy that we achieved the championship.”
The Greek coach explained that the group spirit was present from the beginning of the journey, adding: “From the first day, the players had desire and passion, and there was cohesion and harmony within the team. We learned a lot from the World Cup experience, and with instructions and work, we improved and developed step by step, and I believe that the players deserve this result.”
Donis thanked the Saudi fans and said: “I congratulate the fans, as they provided us with the best support throughout the tournament. We saw great desire, love and passion from them, and they supported us at all times. “I looked at them and felt that they deserved this joy, and today we made them happy.”
He added: “The players now feel confident and proud, and they can achieve more together. I thank everyone who worked on this tournament, and everyone who gave me this opportunity to achieve this achievement.”
Denis expressed his pride in working in Saudi Arabia, saying: “I want to do a lot of work for this country that I love, and I am proud to be here. I have a lot of friends here, and in Saudi Arabia the most beautiful people.”
Regarding the future of the team, he said: “I expect that we will continue to provide the same performance. When I took over the job, I did not know the players completely, and we did not play many matches, but with the passage of time we improved a lot, and now we see the amount of understanding and development within the team.
He stressed the importance of building on the current group, adding: “I always focus on teamwork, and we must develop football and prepare for the upcoming challenges.” After the World Cup results, I spoke with the officials and offered some solutions. There is a great desire to achieve better results, but we must continue to work and perform better.”
The coach asked for patience with the players, and said: “I respect the media, and I ask you for your patience and support.” We want to develop football and continue with this group of players, like Hammam and Firas. We have to be patient with them, and we will give our best in the upcoming events.”
Denis concluded his speech by stressing that the evaluation phase will begin after the title celebration, saying: “We will enjoy this moment, then evaluate our work and study all the matches technically, and search for the best solutions. We will choose the players that best suit us, and we will see what happens next month, with our next choices being in December.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports, confirmed that the crowning of the Saudi national team with the “Gulf 27” title came as a result of concerted efforts and work to develop football, indicating that achieving the championship broke a barrier that the players and the sports system needed to overcome, and that the next stage will witness building on this achievement.
The Minister of Sports said, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat and media representatives after the coronation: “Praise be to God. May God grant us success today with the efforts of the players and the concerted efforts of everyone, and the work and development in order to deserve to win this tournament.”
He added: “From the first day of the tournament, the players were extremely focused and interested, and everyone was working for one goal, which was to achieve the championship, and thank God the players succeeded in that.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki continued: “We promise everyone to join efforts to develop football and the sports system, in line with the ambitions of our honorable leadership, as well as the aspirations of the Saudi people.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about how to build on this achievement before the 2027 Asian Cup, the Minister of Sports said: “There is no doubt that we will look at the positives and negatives, and everything that was done during this stage, and build on it. There is a saying that winning brings victory, and today we broke this barrier by achieving a championship that the players needed, and we also needed as a sports system. May God grant us success today, and God willing, we will build on this achievement in the next stage.”
The journey to crown the Saudi team with the Gulf Cup title was not just an ordinary race to gold, but rather it was a comprehensive and error-free survey of the map of Gulf football. In a tournament usually known for its repeated confrontations in the final rounds, “Al-Akhdar” created an exceptional case produced by the language of numbers, as it crossed to the podium after facing five different teams in its five matches, crowning this unique path with complete defensive immunity and a net that did not shake.
Since the adoption of the new tournament system based on two groups and a knockout in 2004, the “repeated confrontation” rule has remained prevalent in the final scene of most editions, and only two previous cases have succeeded in passing the tournament by facing five different teams without repeating. The first was with the Omani team in 2009 when it faced Kuwait, Iraq, and Bahrain, then Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but tied in two matches, and the second was with the Emirati team in 2013, when it surpassed Qatar and Bahrain. And Oman, then Kuwait and Iraq, but his goal was shaken by goals during that trip.
The Saudi path came to rewrite this history in a more exceptional way and with an unprecedented imprint. Al-Akhdar began the group stage competitions by defeating Kuwait, then Oman and Iraq, and when crossing into the knockout rounds, he fell on the ladder with the qualifiers from the other group without intersecting again with the companions of the first round. He faced Qatar in the semi-finals and overcame them on penalties after a scoreless draw, before crowning his career with victory in the final match against the Emirates.
The real secret of Saudi uniqueness lies in the connection between facing five different teams and coming out with a completely clean sheet, as no champion in the history of the tournament in the modern system has ever faced five different opponents and reached the gold podium without conceding a single goal throughout the tournament’s minutes, and with this steadfast number, Al-Akhdar proved that embracing the cup came to prove the excellence and height of the heel of Saudi football.
