Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Manama: Saad Al Shehri is confident his side’s tournament-leading strike force can lead Saudi Arabia to victory in the final of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 on Sunday when they take on Japan at Bahrain National Stadium.
Al Shehri’s side have scored 16 times in five games – including six in the semi-final win over Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday – and the coach believes there is no reason his team should not continue their red-hot scoring run as they seek to win the title for the first time since 1992.
“We have played against many difficult teams and against teams who have had great defences, but we have scored against them,” he said. “We must remember that Saudi Arabia has the best attacking line-up in the whole tournament.
“The Japan team have strong defensive tactics, which will make the match a bit difficult. But we have many great players, midfielders and strikers who will allow us to score. The most important thing is that we see a great final between these two teams.”
Abdulrahman Al Yami scored a hat-trick in the win over Iran to move alongside teammate and captain Sami Al Naji at the top of the tournament’s scoring charts with four goals each, while Rakan Al Anze has also claimed three so far in the competition.
The Saudi attack was rampant against the Iranians, but also conceded five times in the most thrilling game of the tournament so far and Al Shehri believes his team have learned the lessons from the semi-final.
“In the Iran match we made some mistakes by some players and we have studied those players and we are focusing on the next match,” said Al Shehri. “We will be ready and we will be trying to take the trophy back to Saudi Arabia.
“Any mistake made by any team will cause any coach to be stressed, but there are 11 players and we must stand behind them and try to take away the pressure and then we can have a great team for the future. We all have to be behind them so we can make a great future and history for the Saudi team.”
The Saudis expect to be backed by the majority of the crowd at the game on Sunday, with Bahrain only a short drive across the King Fahad Causeway from Saudi Arabia, and Al Shehri is hoping the support of the fans can help his team take the trophy back to Riyadh.
“Our team needs the support of the fans,” he said. “These are young players and they will be encouraged by having that support and I’m sure they’ll put on a great game when they see the fans coming to support them.
“I’m so proud and happy that my team have reached the final. We arrived in Bahrain as the first team here and I hope that we can leave Bahrain as the champions.”
Photo: AFC