Al-Saktiwi: Facing Iraq is difficult, but the Omani team showed a strong response

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.

eaad The Saudi Under-21 national team, on Wednesday evening, trained in Japan, in preparation for facing Uzbekistan on Friday in the quarter-finals of the football competitions at the Asian Games in Nagoya.

Luigi Di Biagio, coach of the Saudi national team, stated that the match with Uzbekistan will be difficult, given that this team has witnessed great development in its performance in recent years. He indicated in his private interview with Asharq Al-Awsat his confidence in the ability of the Saudi national team players to provide their best in this tournament.

On the other hand, the Saudi team won two silver medals, coinciding with the Kingdom’s National Day on Wednesday.

The first Saudi silver medal was won by the player of the Saudi e-sports team, Ziad Al-Faleh, after he came in second place in the overall standings of the game Gran Turismo 7, with 25 points.

The Saudi karate team player, Sanad Sufyani, won second place and the silver medal in the 84 kg competition. He qualified after winning the quarter-finals over Thailand 5-0, then defeating Indonesia in the semi-finals 8-2.

The Saudi tally of medals rose on the fourth day of the tournament to 4 medals (two silver, two bronze), three of which were in karate, which concluded its participation in the tournament, and the last in electronic sports, which will be in tomorrow’s competitions starting at nine in the morning in the Fighting Games competition, which consists of Tekken 8, Street Fighter 8, and King of Fighter 15 games.

On a related note, player Mohammed Al-Nassfan scored the first historic victory for Saudi squash in the Asian Games, after defeating his Chinese counterpart, Pinglin Zhou, in the round of 32, by three clean goals.

Al-Nisfan, who is considered the youngest player in the competition and is ranked 16-32 in the overall standings of the competition, will meet his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Irfan, who is ranked between places 5-8, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Saudi time, in the round of 16 competitions.

It is noteworthy that squash’s participation in the current edition of the “Assiad” is the second participation, after the “Guangzhou Asia’ 2010”.

The Saudi Arabian Athletics Team will launch its participation when it competes on the first day of the Games, Thursday, at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

The two runners, Mayasa Al-Zikallah and Heba Muhammad, will participate in the women’s 100m qualifiers, at 1:49 pm Saudi time, with the runners Abdullah Abkar and Nasser Muhammad entering the 100m qualifiers at 2:00 pm.

Ali Al-Sheikhi, President of the Saudi Athletics Federation, said that the Saudi national team is going through a phase of construction and renewal, and that this does not mean that there is no ambition to achieve an impressive record in the current Asian tournament.

He stated in a special statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the federation is working with the Olympic Committee on a special strategy to create and discover names and talents from the Sunni groups through centers in several regions, including Medina, Jizan and Bisha, expressing optimism that the Mother of Games will continue its path of achievements in the future.

He explained that athletics is always a candidate for winning medals, stressing his confidence in the names that will participate, and that the age factor was an obstacle to the participation of some elite players because they are from the Sunni groups.

The Saudi delegation participating in the twentieth Asian Games celebrated the anniversary of the Kingdom’s National Day, under the slogan “We are proud by our nature,” on Wednesday, at the Conrad Hotel in Nagoya, Japan, in the presence of Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Vice President of the participating Saudi delegation, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad, Chairman of the Olympic Council of Asia and Chairman of the Olympic Committee. Qatar Airways, Sheikh Fahd Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, President of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee, Sheikh Issa bin Ali, Vice-President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Japan, Dr. Ghazi bin Zaqr, CEO and Secretary General of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Baeshen, and a number of heads of delegations participating in the Asian Games, members of the Saudi delegation, ambassadors of Arab and Islamic countries and the organizing committee for the tournament.

The ceremony included many performances and national anthems, in addition to a documentary film telling the history of the unification of the Kingdom at the hands of King Abdul Aziz.

In his speech, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi, on behalf of the members of the participating Saudi delegation, congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the occasion of National Day.

During the speech, he conveyed the greetings of Prince Abdulaziz Al-Faisal, President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and head of the participating Saudi delegation, to attend the ceremony, and to members of the Saudi sports delegation, wishing them success in the upcoming competitions.

Prince Fahd bin Jalawi thanked the attendees, led by the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad, praising the efforts he is making to develop sports on the continent. He said: “The Olympic Council, headed by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad, is providing distinguished work that many continents seek to provide similar work to, and we wish them success, and we thank him for coming and participating in celebrating National Day with us.”