The striking performance of the Saudi national team players in the group stage reflected on the Greek coach Jorge Dhonis, who said, 'They have given me confidence, because we maintain our standards every time, and show that we are developing and growing, whether in terms of playing style or mentality.'
It seemed that Dhonis achieved some of his goals in the Gulf Championship, which he described as 'an excellent opportunity to build a strong and cohesive personality and identity, capable of combining defensive solidity and offensive danger, which is essential for success in short tournaments'.
But at the same time, he stressed the need to focus in the next phase, saying, 'We are now moving to a stage that does not tolerate mistakes, and to the next step, which is the semi-finals. We must prepare well and turn the page on everything that has passed'.
Dhonis expressed some concern about the impact of injuries, after Zakaria Hosawi joined the list of injured players that includes Hassan Kadesh, Alaa Al-Hajji, and Nawaf Al-Aqidi, saying, 'Repeating these cases is not normal'.
On the other hand, the Qatari national team, which passed quietly through Bahrain and Yemen with victories of 2-0 and 1-0 respectively, before settling for the runner-up of the second group with seven points after drawing with the UAE 1-1, realizes that it faces a difficult challenge against a fierce opponent armed with the factors of home ground and the audience.
However, the 'Blue' team's conceding of only one goal in their three matches, which came against the UAE in a match they played with backup defensive elements, reinforces the bet of Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui on tightening the back lines before seeking a victory that would strengthen his position, in light of the criticism he has recently faced, especially after the World Cup.
Lopetegui praised his opponent, saying, 'Let's not forget that we are facing a very strong team, and it may be the most prominent candidate to win the title, which requires us to present an exceptional level in the match'.
The former coach of the Spanish and Real Madrid national teams added, 'We faced them a year ago, but they are now better, with updates and changes represented by the presence of five or six new elements'.
He continued, 'But my team is also performing well, and has shown ferocity and strength to reach this stage, and we will fight to defend our chances of winning and qualifying'.
Regarding the participation of Akram Afif in the semi-finals, Lopetegui said, 'It was a health issue that will not affect his presence in the semi-finals, and I have great confidence in all the players to give their best'.
The historical head-to-head matches between the two teams in the tournament indicate a clear Saudi superiority, as the Green team won 10 out of 22 matches, compared to three victories for Qatar, while nine matches ended in a draw.
The UAE and Oman.. Two different paths
The UAE and Oman national teams meet after having taken two completely different paths, and qualified from the group stage with opposite sides.
The UAE presented consistent performances crowned by topping the second group with seven points from two victories and a draw, and scored eight goals, achieving their best scoring record since the adoption of the two-group system.
In contrast, Oman suffered after losing to Saudi Arabia 0-3 and drawing with Iraq 1-1, and waited until the last round to achieve victory over Kuwait 3-1, and qualify in second place after a draw conducted by the Gulf Football Association.
Oman and Iraq were equal in points, number of goals scored and conceded, head-to-head matches, and fair play, so the qualification between the two teams was decided by drawing lots, in an unprecedented incident in the history of the tournament.
While Oman played a decisive match in the last round that exhausted a large part of their energy, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic, of the UAE, rested his key players in the last match against Qatar.
Dalic said, 'We played well in the three matches, and I am happy with the elements that participated against Qatar, because we play a match every three days, but in the knockout matches we must be cautious'.
He continued, 'We finished the group stage in first place and achieved what we wanted, but we do not want to stop here. We have achieved something good, and now we seek to give our best to continue the journey'.
The UAE seeks to reach the final for the first time since the Kuwait edition in 2018, at a time when it was eliminated from the group stage in the last three editions, while Oman played the final match in the last two editions.
