Saudi Arabia will bounce back, says coach Renard

DOHA: Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard hoped his team will bounce back at the 24th Arab Gulf Cup after their bitter 3-1 defeat against Kuwait in the opening match on Thursday.

The three-time champions will take on Bahrain in the Group B match at Al Duhail Stadium on Saturday.

In another earlier group game, Oman will cross swords with Kuwait.

“We need to win if we want to qualify for the next round. Those three compulsory points are important for us,” said Renard.

Saudis haven’t won the regional competition after 2003.

“The preparations for this tournament has been tough particularly most of the players took part in the Saudi Professional League and AFC Champions League. I hope the team will perform better against Bahrain,” added the Frenchman.

Last Sunday, Al Hilal became the first Saudi club since the second of Al Ittihad’s back-to-back wins in 2005 to win the AFC Champions League.

But the national team’s dismal outing against tournament’s most successful side was a bitter pill to digest.

“Football is sometimes cruel. We’ve some inexperienced players, but I support and trust them,” added Renard. “You’ll see a different Saudi team on the morrow.”

Saudi goalkeeper Fawaz Al-Qarni exuded confidence, and said that the Kuwait defeat is history.

“We’ve to accept all the results. We lost the first game, but we want to focus on the next game,” said Fawaz. “We’re here for the reputation of Saudi football. We’ll not disappoint the coach and our fans.”

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