AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Saudi Team's Coach: Goal is to Lead Group, Reach Final

Doha, January 24 (QNA) - Coach of the Saudi national football team, Roberto Mancini stated that the team's main goal is to reach the final match of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. In a pre-match press conference, Mancini said that the Saudi team will face a difficult game against Thailand on Thursday in the last round of matches of the group stage. He said that his team aims to lead its group standing and stressed the importance of recovering from the previous matches. The participation of Saudi player Hassan Tambakti has not been determined yet after he left injured in the previous match, the coach noted. Mancini took over his role four months ago, but it did not affect him implementing the basic elements in the team which he aims to continue to develop in the coming period. The coach added that they do not know which team they will face in the round of 16 and the focus for the current time remains on the match against Thailand. He affirmed that his team would spare no effort in order to win their third match and continue in their tournament journey. The team is aware that moving forward each team they face will be strong and they must be calculated to achieve their goal of reaching the final. Mancini also praised the remarkable performance of the Qatari team, the defending champion, during its matches in the group stage. Saudi player Faisal Al Ghamdi did not hide the difficulty of Thursday's match against the Thai national team but he affirmed everyone's readiness for the confrontation and the players' keenness to deliver a level that pleases the fans. Al Ghamdi, who scored the Saudi team's second goal in the last match against Kyrgyzstan, said that his team's goal is to win and qualify while leading their group ranking. The Saudi team leads the standings of Group F with six points, followed by Thailand with four points, then Oman with one point, while Kyrgyzstan has zero points. The team is aiming to obtain the full mark in the group stage after failing to achieve this despite winning the title three times. (QNA)