Saudi Gazette Report

DOHA — Saudi Arabia’s Coach Hervé Renard said on Tuesday that the Green Falcons can script history again for Saudi football during tomorrow’s match against Mexico.

“The match against Mexico will not be easy, and God willing, we will qualify for the round of 16. Mexico has experience in the World Cup, but we have a good generation that aspires to make history,” he said in a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Center ahead of the Saudi squad’s third round of matches against Mexico on Wednesday.

Renard said: “We keep the second round in mind, but before that, we must focus on facing Mexico, and we must do our best in Wednesday’s match, and tomorrow is a very important day for us,” he said.

The coach noted that the Saudi players —Captain Salman Al-Faraj, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Muhammad Al-Buraik and Abdullah Al-Maliki — will be absent from tomorrow’s match. “I have 26 players and we have to manage the situation in the best way possible. I do not like to respond to challenges, but instead, we must pay attention to ourselves, our readiness, and our desire to achieve a goal that we have been working on for a long time,” he said.

Addressing the press conference, Muhammad Kanno, the Saudi national team player, praised the squad’s head coach, saying Renard is a great coach and is considered one of the best coaches he dealt with during his career in the stadiums. “ Renard’s confidence in the players gives them an additional incentive to bring out the best,” he said while pointing out that the Green is characterized by homogeneity on the field. “For us, the Mexico match tomorrow is life or death. We hope to succeed and win the match and reach the next round,” he said.

Kanno confirmed that the goal of all players is to make Saudi fans happy in the decisive match against Mexico. “The players will do everything in their capacity to write history and make the Saudi people happy,” he added.