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.”
Portuguese Helio Souza, coach of the Kuwaiti national team, confirmed that facing Iraq will be a major challenge for his team, noting that the technical staff is working to improve the physical and technical aspects and correct the mistakes that appeared in the previous match, in order to achieve victory and collect the three points in the second round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27”.
Souza said, in the press conference preceding the confrontation: “Tomorrow’s match will be a challenge for us, and as you know, the last 30 minutes of our previous match were difficult for us, so we must play with strength and enthusiasm. We are working hard to improve our level, and we hope to achieve victory and implement our ideas as required.”
Regarding the pressures facing the Kuwaiti team, he explained: “The pressure is present whether we play against strong or not strong teams, and it is present in training and matches. We work to achieve victory, enhance our capabilities and improve our performance, until we reach the desired goal.”
Regarding the expected public attendance, he said: “It is great to have a large audience supporting us, and the Iraqi public will certainly attend to support their team, but we will work to provide our best.”
He added: “We are working to improve the physical and technical aspects, and as you know, the Iraqi national team includes players who are active outside the country, so we are working to raise our level, as the challenges ahead of us are great.”
For his part, Nasser Falih, the Kuwaiti national team player, confirmed his team's readiness to face Iraq, noting that the players are working to correct the mistakes that appeared in the previous match, in search of achieving the first victory in the tournament.
Faleh said, in the press conference: “We are well prepared for the Iraq match, and we are working to correct the mistakes and prepare ourselves for the confrontation as required, and we are seeking to achieve the three points.”
He added: “It is normal for us to face pressure as players, and we performed at the required level in the previous match, but we were not successful in achieving the result, and we will work to make the Kuwaiti fans happy.”
