The Italian Luigi Di Biagio, coach of the Saudi under-21 team, acknowledged the superiority of the Uzbek team over the “Green” team in the confrontation that brought together the two teams in the quarter-finals of the football competitions in the “Nagoya 2026” Asian Games, and ended with the Saudi team losing by three goals without a response, pointing out that the lack of playing minutes that a number of his players get with their clubs affected their ability to keep up with the opponent in the third match of the tournament.
Speaking to the media after the match, Di Biagio said: “Today we were eliminated from the competition, but perhaps we succeeded in forming a team that can help us in the upcoming matches. The players gave everything they had, and today we realized, realistically, that the Uzbekistan national team is stronger than us, quite simply.”
He added: “We have to improve and develop, and development comes through matches like these, specifically these types of confrontations. “I am happy with what the players did, especially in the first two matches, but in today’s match we had to perform better and put in a greater effort.”
The Italian coach pointed out that the lack of participation of a number of Saudi national team players with their clubs was reflected in their performance during the tournament, explaining: “We must say that it was not easy, because many of our players do not get enough playing minutes, and therefore things become more complicated when reaching the third match.”
He continued: “Every experience helps players develop, and every team gathering gives us an additional opportunity to stay together and work to reach the level we aspire to.”
Di Biagio touched on the difficulties facing Gulf teams when competing against East Asian teams, noting that the Saudi team's arrival in the quarter-finals represents an important experience for its players.
He said: “We must realize that the Gulf teams, when they leave the region and head towards East Asia, face great difficulties. It is not a coincidence that we are the only Gulf team to reach the quarter-finals.”
He added: “I told the players that they must raise their heads and continue working, and they must feel proud of what they have done, despite the difficulties we faced.”
Regarding the absence of some players representing major Saudi clubs from the national team’s roster during the Asian participation, Di Biagio explained that the Saudi Football Association is working to find appropriate solutions to allow players to participate with the national team.
He said: “The Saudi Football Federation is working to find the best solutions to allow players to participate with us. If some important players cannot attend due to certain circumstances, there is no problem with that, because we have provided the opportunity to try other players, which helps us expand our list of options.”
Regarding the extent of his success in achieving the goals he set for participating in the Asian Games, the Italian coach confirmed that the tournament gave him an opportunity to determine the levels of a number of young players, and determine the extent of their ability to continue with the team in the upcoming competitions.
He said: “We certainly succeeded in achieving some of our goals. I tried out a number of players, some of whom I had previously watched play in the First Division and the Under-21 League.”
Di Biagio concluded his speech by saying: “The goal of such participations is to be able to know the players who can continue with the national team in the future, and those who may not be among our options in the next stage.”
