Frenchman Hervé Renard, coach of the Saudi national team, confirmed the difficulty of the upcoming confrontation against the Omani national team, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, in the semi-finals of the twenty-sixth edition of the Arabian Gulf Football Cup, currently being held in Kuwait and continuing until January 4th.
The coach explained during today’s press conference that the Saudi team reached this role thanks to its history and performance in the group stage, which was not easy, indicating that the goal now is to reach the final match, but overcoming the strong Omani team requires great focus and distinguished performance.
The coach pointed out the difficulty of the last match against Iraq, praising the level presented by the team and the great public support that surprised him with the extent of the attendance’s momentum. He added that the collective performance in that match was good, especially in the midfield, which gave the attackers greater freedom, highlighting the role of Abdullah Al-Hamdan despite He did not participate mainly, due to the priority of securing the defensive side.
Renard confirmed that Marwan Al-Sahafi’s joining the group after the Iraq match is an important addition, and that the essential decision for his participation in tomorrow’s match will be taken after the last training session. He also praised the role of team captain Salem Al-Dosari, who defied the injury and insisted on supporting the team, describing his position as a lesson in sacrifice for young players.
In turn, Aoun Al-Saluli, the Saudi national team player, confirmed the readiness of all players to play against the Omani national team tomorrow, in order to win and qualify for the final round and to pursue the main goal of participation, which is to win the Gulf title after an absence, and he praised the great support from the Saudi fans, especially in the last match. Against Iraq, I hope that the team will continue to perform strongly until the goal is achieved.
The Saudi national team, the runner-up of Group Two, will face its Omani counterpart, the champion of Group One, tomorrow, Tuesday, at 5:30 pm at Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium in the first semi-final of Gulf 26. The winner will qualify to meet the victor from the second semi-final, which brings together the Bahraini team, the group champion. Second, and the Kuwaiti national team, runner-up in Group A, in a match held at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
