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.”
Abdullah Al-Khalasi, the Bahraini national team player, confirmed that the physical factor affected his team’s performance during the confrontation with Qatar, which ended with “Al-Ahmar” losing by two unanswered goals, in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27,” stressing that the national team will work to compensate in its next match against the Emirates.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after the match, Al-Khalasi said: “In the end, success comes from the Lord of the Worlds, and we were not successful in the match despite having a number of opportunities, but, God willing, we will come back stronger and as quickly as possible.”
Regarding the decline in the performance of the Bahraini team in the second half, and the extent of the impact of the physical aspect on the level of the players, he explained: “Certainly, the physical factor affected the level, but Bahrain will return as soon as possible, and our focus now is on the next match against the Emirati team, and, God willing, we will make the Bahraini people happy.”
For his part, Omar Salem, the Bahraini national team player, attributed his country’s loss to Qatar by two unanswered goals, in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27”, to the impact of the physical factor and the high temperatures and humidity, indicating that the Bahraini national team is looking forward to compensation in the next confrontation.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after the match, Salem said: “We performed well in the first half, but the physical factor affected us in the second half, and I think it affected both teams because of the high temperatures and high humidity.”
He added: “The pitch was a bit heavy, and it affected the movement of the ball, which increased the physical load on both teams, but that does not prevent us from striving to achieve victory and maintain the title, as it is dear to all of us and to Bahrain in general.”
Salem concluded his speech by saying: “This match had its own circumstances, and God willing, we will make up for it in the next match.”
Akram Afif, the Qatari national team player, confirmed that his team is looking forward to continuing its positive results in the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27”, after its victory over Bahrain with two unanswered goals in the first round of the group stage competitions, indicating that the upcoming matches will be more difficult.
Afif said, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, after the match: “Praise be to God, we are trying to provide what is required of us, and we congratulate our fans for this victory. Everyone knows that the first match will be difficult, and the following matches will be more difficult, and we ask God for success.”
Regarding the criticism that affected the pitch, Afif said: “I cannot talk about the pitch, because I am a player, and the pitch today was on everyone, whether the main players, substitutes or goalkeepers.”
He added: “Every person may have his own opinion, and I respect all opinions, but for me, as long as the ground is the same for everyone, this is the reality, and we cannot change anything.”
Regarding the Qatari team’s ambitions to achieve the Gulf Championship title, Afif said: “God willing, we are trying, and God will make things easy for us.”
For his part, Tariq Salman, a player for the Qatari national team, confirmed that the experiences of the “Al Annabi” players and the harmony they have enjoyed for years give the team the motivation to go far in the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament “Gulf 27”, indicating that the national team succeeded in dealing with the circumstances of its confrontation with Bahrain, despite the numerical deficiency, and coming out with the three points.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after the victory over Bahrain with two unanswered goals, Salman said: “Praise be to God for the victory. It was a difficult match, but we knew how to snatch victory through small details. We scored a goal at the beginning of the second half, and another at the end of the match despite the expulsion, and most importantly, we succeeded in coming out with the three points.”
He added: “This is a short tournament, and we need to always be ready in every match, and thank God we achieved the most important thing in today’s confrontation.”
Regarding the harmony enjoyed by the Qatari national team players, and the extent of the influence of the experiences that the team gained during its previous participations in achieving the Gulf title, Salman said: “We are a group and a generation that has been playing together for a long time, and we succeeded in achieving the Asian Cup in 2019 and 2023, and we continued the journey together. We hope that these experiences will be an additional point for us, and will give us motivation to continue and reach the furthest point in the tournament.”
Regarding the pitch, Salman explained: “The pitch is good, and we previously played on it with Al-Sadd Club in the AFC Elite Champions League, and everything was good.”
While Abdulaziz Hatem, the Qatari national team player, confirmed that his team succeeded in dealing with the numerical deficiency during its confrontation against Bahrain, which ended with “Al Annabi” winning with two unanswered goals, in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27,” indicating that the national team was able to translate the opportunities it had in the first half into goals.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after the match, Hatem said: “I think we performed at an excellent level. In the end, expulsion is part of football, and thank God we were able to deal with it in an appropriate manner, and we achieved what is most important by getting the three points.”
He added: “We performed excellently, but we could have exploited the opportunities we had in the first half and translated them into goals, and thank God we achieved the victory in the end.”
Regarding the coach’s instructions after the expulsion, Hatem explained: “His instructions were clear, to close the spaces, maintain the closeness of the lines, and try to move forward and exploit counterattacks and spaces, in addition to keeping the ball whenever we have the opportunity.”
Regarding the field, he said: “The ground is fairly good, and I think it needs to cut the grass a little, but in general it is excellent.”
