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Tribune News Network
Doha
Having edged hosts Qatar 1-0 in the semi-final, which their coach Herve Renard termed as a ‘heroic’ win, Saudi Arabia are now keen to get past Bahrain in the final of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup and lift the trophy on Sunday.
Bahrain, who beat three-time winners Iraq on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the other semi-final, too are brimming with confidence and aiming to win their maiden Gulf Cup trophy.
Both sides exuded confidence at the pre-match conference with rival coaches sure of their players displaying their best.
Saudi’s French coach Herve Renard indicated that focus was an important factor to win the title, stressing that they came to Qatar for this goal. “We are very happy to be in the final, and I think that we deserved to be present in this big final. This was our goal from the beginning – not only to participate, so we must be ready for it,” he said.
Despite the presence of some new and young players, Renard stressed that his team’s plans helped them achieve success.
“We played the Bahrain and Oman matches with the attack, and the game against Qatar was very different. We deal with each match with a special strategy and also depend on the deficiencies that it suffers from. We presented a heroic match against Qatar,” he said.
“We have a distinguished team, including eight players, who have made it to the AFC Champions League, and for this, Saudi Arabia remains a strong team in any tournament,” he added.
On the impact of the victory (2-0) over Bahrain in the group stage, he said, “I’ve always said earlier we are here to win. Even after losing to Kuwait, I told you that we still have our ambition. Bahrain is a strong team and showed a good level. We must focus and fight until the last minute to achieve this goal,” he said.
Bahrain’s Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, however, hoped for a different result in the final against Saudi Arabia.
“We will try to continue to do better than we did in the previous games in the group league. This time we must be stronger and more efficient and we must score. I am sure that the players will do their best to win.
“We care a lot about winning, but also we are still building a team for the future. These high-level matches are what make the team in terms of personality and experience, and I trust all of my,” he added.
Sousa also wished that the final would be decided in 90 minutes of play. “It is true that we played added times in the previous games, but this does not diminish our chances. We hope to win the match within the 90 minutes without going again for the additional time where it will be difficult, but in the end we are ready for any scenario,” he said.
Regarding the pressure, he said, “This is football. Pressure will always be there because you are required to accomplish a task from every match, and such pressures are good for the players.
“I am satisfied with all the technical and professional work that we have done in this tournament. We have dealt with the pressure of the matches in the best way, and we played four matches with strong teams.”
He hoped for an early breakthrough to gain advantage in the clash. “It is important to score in this match, and it would be special if we would score early. We will try to attack as we did in previous games, and we are a team capable of bouncing back any time, as what happened against Kuwait and Iraq.”
About star striker Thiago Augusto, Sousa said, “He is an important player and he was a contributing factor in reaching the final. He knows what we must do against Saudi Arabia.”
Doha
Having edged hosts Qatar 1-0 in the semi-final, which their coach Herve Renard termed as a ‘heroic’ win, Saudi Arabia are now keen to get past Bahrain in the final of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup and lift the trophy on Sunday.
Bahrain, who beat three-time winners Iraq on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the other semi-final, too are brimming with confidence and aiming to win their maiden Gulf Cup trophy.
Both sides exuded confidence at the pre-match conference with rival coaches sure of their players displaying their best.
Saudi’s French coach Herve Renard indicated that focus was an important factor to win the title, stressing that they came to Qatar for this goal. “We are very happy to be in the final, and I think that we deserved to be present in this big final. This was our goal from the beginning – not only to participate, so we must be ready for it,” he said.
Despite the presence of some new and young players, Renard stressed that his team’s plans helped them achieve success.
“We played the Bahrain and Oman matches with the attack, and the game against Qatar was very different. We deal with each match with a special strategy and also depend on the deficiencies that it suffers from. We presented a heroic match against Qatar,” he said.
“We have a distinguished team, including eight players, who have made it to the AFC Champions League, and for this, Saudi Arabia remains a strong team in any tournament,” he added.
On the impact of the victory (2-0) over Bahrain in the group stage, he said, “I’ve always said earlier we are here to win. Even after losing to Kuwait, I told you that we still have our ambition. Bahrain is a strong team and showed a good level. We must focus and fight until the last minute to achieve this goal,” he said.
Bahrain’s Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, however, hoped for a different result in the final against Saudi Arabia.
“We will try to continue to do better than we did in the previous games in the group league. This time we must be stronger and more efficient and we must score. I am sure that the players will do their best to win.
“We care a lot about winning, but also we are still building a team for the future. These high-level matches are what make the team in terms of personality and experience, and I trust all of my,” he added.
Sousa also wished that the final would be decided in 90 minutes of play. “It is true that we played added times in the previous games, but this does not diminish our chances. We hope to win the match within the 90 minutes without going again for the additional time where it will be difficult, but in the end we are ready for any scenario,” he said.
Regarding the pressure, he said, “This is football. Pressure will always be there because you are required to accomplish a task from every match, and such pressures are good for the players.
“I am satisfied with all the technical and professional work that we have done in this tournament. We have dealt with the pressure of the matches in the best way, and we played four matches with strong teams.”
He hoped for an early breakthrough to gain advantage in the clash. “It is important to score in this match, and it would be special if we would score early. We will try to attack as we did in previous games, and we are a team capable of bouncing back any time, as what happened against Kuwait and Iraq.”
About star striker Thiago Augusto, Sousa said, “He is an important player and he was a contributing factor in reaching the final. He knows what we must do against Saudi Arabia.”
