Sableich “awaits more”… Al-Khatib “convinced”
Al-Qadsiah returned from the tenth round with an important 2-1 victory over hosts Al-Fahaheel in the match played on Tuesday at Naif Al-Dabous Stadium, as part of the opening round of the Zain Premier League.
Abdullah Al-Ansari, the media coordinator at Al-Qadsiah Club, emphasized in post-match statements that the technical staff was cautious due to the absence of several players, including star player Bader Al-Mutawa and Moroccan striker Hamza Khaba. He noted that Khaba had participated in the team’s training camp in the Turkish city of Izmit in a squad that excluded him and included the players who faced Al-Fahaheel, using the same tactical formation.
Al-Ansari thanked the players “who executed the coach’s instructions and achieved the most important thing, which is the three points,” considering that playing in such difficult conditions applies to all teams and that the tempo will improve as more matches are played.
For his part, Al-Fahaheel striker Vitor Vieira said: “We were not at our best and committed many mistakes. We must now focus on the next match and learn from our mistakes to be better.” He added: “It is not easy to play against Al-Qadsiah in the first match of the league. We started well and scored the opening goal, but we lost our lead in the final minutes of the first half. Against a team like Al-Qadsiah, it is difficult to come back. Nevertheless, we did our best but were not successful.”
After the match, Al-Arabi’s Croatian coach Goran Sablic said: “We knew we would face a strong team and prepared well for it. I believe we showed that we can play against any opponent in the league. I feel sorry because we were slightly better than Kuwait and deserved more.”
He added: “We made defensive mistakes. We must look forward; it is only the first match. I am happy for the players and everyone around the team, but we must improve. We have been together for only 40 days, we have done a lot, and I believe we can be better.”
On the other side, Al-Kuwait’s Syrian coach Firas Al-Khatib, who took charge of the team three days before the match, appeared satisfied with the result.
He said: “It was a difficult match against a team with distinctive elements and better preparations, as they had played an official match in the Asian tournament 10 days ago.”
Regarding the next match against Al-Qadsiah, Firas said: “Al-Qadsiah is a big team, and facing them is no less important than facing Al-Arabi. In general, all league matches will be difficult.”
For his part, Al-Kuwait Club’s deputy head of football, Adel Aqela, stated that “the White Team” played a great match against a respected opponent and aimed to achieve victory, as is their habit, pointing out the importance of addressing some mistakes that occurred during the match.
Aqela clarified that the new coach, Firas Al-Khatib, did not have enough time before the match, but his experience, along with that of the players, played a major role. He emphasized that the club’s management, when deciding to part ways with the previous coach, Portuguese Alexandre Santos, a few days before the league began, was acting in the team’s best interest and it was not a matter of stubbornness.
