The Saudi national team coach, Frenchman Hervé Renard, criticized the performance of the Al-Akhdar players after the 1-2 loss to Oman and their exit from the Gulf Cup tournament in the semi-finals.
Renard said in press statements after the match: “Defensive errors were the decisive factor in the loss. It is impossible to achieve the championship when our goal has conceded eight goals. I feel frustrated.”
He added: “We did not come to Kuwait to get out of the semi-finals. We came to the tournament with great ambitions, but we left with great disappointment, without returning with the title. We played a match in a better position after one of their players was sent off, but we made mistakes that cost us the result and the result.”
He continued: “After the defeat, it is easy to criticize the squad, but the truth is that our defensive system was not at the required level. We were affected by the absence of some of the suspended players, and the referee’s performance was not at its best.”
The Saudi national team coach continued: “We played the match and we had suspended players. I included Hawsawi, Al-Qahtani and Al-Othman, but they could not score. We had to be patient and take our time in attacking.”
He concluded by saying: “We must improve our defensive performance significantly if we want to compete for championships in the future. No team can achieve success when it concedes this large number of goals. The responsibility lies with everyone, and we will work to correct the mistakes in the next stage.”
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