Lopetegui praises Qatar's performance against Bahrain despite the difficult weather conditions

The Spanish coach of the Qatari national team, Julian Lopetegui, expressed his happiness with the performance of his players against Bahrain, in the confrontation that ended with Al-Anabi winning with two unanswered goals, in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27”, indicating that his team succeeded in overcoming the difficult weather conditions and dealing with the numerical shortage in the last minutes of the match.

Lopetegui said, during the press conference after the confrontation: “The conditions were very difficult due to the humidity and high temperatures, but we played a good match against Bahrain, and the players showed an amazing performance amid all these conditions.”

He added: “We must now rest and move forward in the tournament, especially since we will face Yemen in three days. Today we made a great effort against a distinguished team, and we will focus on the positives that we came out of facing the defending champion. We watched the players in high spirits, and I repeat that I am happy with the performance they gave.”

Regarding the Qatari team’s handling of the final minutes of the match after the expulsion, Lopetegui explained: “We worked to maintain our cohesion on the field, and the players showed technical maturity and the ability to deal with the circumstances of the match.”

In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the defensive formation of the Bahraini national team, which prevented Qatar from appearing in the expected offensive manner, he said: “I repeat that Bahrain did a good job, and I know Dragan well. He is a great coach and has a different playing style. Also, being the defending champion gives them an advantage, and I confirm that they are a distinguished team.”

He added: “But today we were better in performance and luckier, and do not forget that our matches against Bahrain are always very difficult. We will focus on the positives and the great morale boost that today’s victory gave us.”

The President of the Kuwait Football Association, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Yousef, confirmed that his country’s national team came to Jeddah to compete for the Gulf Cup title, “Gulf 27,” stressing his support for Portuguese coach Helio Sousa.

The Kuwaiti team began its tournament campaign with a loss to Saudi Arabia 0-1, but Al-Yousef confirmed that the “Blue” team will fight to achieve victory over Iraq in the second round of the first group competitions.

He said: “I am very happy with the level shown by the national team against Saudi Arabia. We succeeded in preparing the players to face the host team returning from the World Cup, which has great potential.”

He added: “Al-Azraq gave a distinguished and manly performance, and was close to scoring on more than one occasion, even though the squad chosen by coach Helio Souza, which included a number of young players, was shocking and unexpected to many.”

Al-Youssef explained that facing Iraq will be different, stressing that the players realize the importance of the match and the size of the responsibility placed on their shoulders. He said: “It is easy to prepare the players for such matches, as they know the importance of confrontation, and they realize that we need to fight until the final whistle in order to achieve our goal.”

Regarding Sousa’s choices, the President of the Kuwaiti Federation stressed his non-interference in technical matters, saying: “I do not interfere in Sousa’s choices, and I am the same as the players and fans in knowing the lineup of matches. The coach is the one who makes the technical decision, and we support his work.”

Al-Yousef considered that the team will be “fully prepared for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia,” noting that the low age of players enhances the future of Kuwaiti football, and that current work aims to build a team capable of serving Kuwaiti football for many years.

He concluded: “We do not want to be satisfied with performance, but rather we want to translate it into results, and the beginning will be with Iraq.”

Dr. Tariq Al-Jalahma, Kuwaiti Minister of Sports, praised the performance of his country’s national team against its Saudi counterpart in the opening match of the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27,” stressing that “Blue” appeared honorably despite its inability to achieve victory, and at the same time appreciated the Kuwaiti public’s presence and support for the team.

Speaking to the media, Al-Jalahma said: “The opening match always has a special character, and the Gulf Cup has a different character from the rest of the tournaments for the Gulf teams. There are many factors that affect the start of the tournament, and the atmosphere may have been somewhat difficult for the players of both teams.”

He added: “We thank the organizing committee and congratulate it on the success of the opening and the wonderful organization. As for the Kuwaiti team, it presented, from my point of view, an excellent match. In the world of football, it is not always the best who achieves the result, but rather the luckiest. The game depends on mistakes and details that any team can exploit to obtain the three points.

The Kuwaiti Minister of Sports expressed his admiration for the work provided by the team’s technical staff during the last stage, noting that relying on young elements and giving them the opportunity to participate in the Gulf Championship represents an important aspect in the process of building the team.

He explained: “What I liked most was the coach’s work with the team and the elements present during the last stage. The average age of the players ranges between 25 and 26 years, and there is a reliance on young players and giving them space in this tournament, and the opening match was an important experience for them.”

He continued: “The team performed excellently at the level of defensive organization. The coach reads the opponent and deals with him according to the tools available to him. We watched a match that was somewhat closed for the Kuwaiti team, with reliance on speed on the offensive side, but the fatigue that faced the offensive elements may not have helped the players score.”

Al-Jalahma stressed the importance of dealing realistically with matches, saying: “The smart coach deals with matches according to the tools he possesses, and not according to what everyone demands, and he must be logical and realistic in his dealings on the field.”

Regarding the possibility of supporting the attendance of the Kuwaiti fans in the next match against Iraq, after large numbers of fans came to Jeddah to support the team in its opening match, he said: “God willing, we will study the situation, and everything that will facilitate the attendance of the fans will not be delayed.”

Al-Jalahma singled out the Kuwaiti fans with great praise, stressing that they do not need invitations to come and support their country’s national team, in light of the support they showed during the opening match.

He said: “The Kuwaiti fans do not need to speak, as we saw the attendees at the match, not only those who arrived by plane, but even those who came by car. We are always accustomed to this audience being behind the team and its sons on the field.”

He added: “We may be talking today about the elements inside the stadium, but the strongest elements are those in the stands. “I always say that the fans are the number one player, not the number 12 player in the world of football.”

He continued: “We recognize and respect the presence of the fans, and their presence is always positive for the team and the players. This is our nature. When the team loses, we get upset, and when it wins, we may get upset, but after a day everyone is behind the team. Opinions and viewpoints may differ after the match, but in the end, Kuwait’s interest is above all else.”

The Kuwaiti Sports Minister concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of building on the level presented by the team in its first appearance in the tournament, saying: “What pleased me in yesterday’s match was the honorable appearance of the Kuwaiti team. Even if it did not achieve victory, it made a positive appearance in its first match, and it must build on this appearance in the next stage.”