Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riffa: Sami Al Naji was visibly crestfallen as Saudi Arabia’s adventure ended in heartbreak at the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016. In the end, it was a bittersweet end for the Saudi Arabia skipper who clinched the tournament’s Top Scorer award with four goals.
“If I could exchange this award for the Saudi Arabia to win the title, I would do so in an instant. It is nice to win, but I am sorry I couldn’t get on the score sheet tonight,” he told www.the-afc.com.
Like most consumate professionals, the teenager was seen consoling his teammates, many of whom were staring down at the pitch in disbelief after the final whistle. “We are all very disappointed, of course. We really wanted to win this tournament for our country and fans.
“But like I told my teammates that this is not the end, it is only beginning for us. We have our whole careers ahead of us and we should take this as a chance to do better in the FIFA U-20 World Cup next year.”
Determined to focus on the positives, he added: “Despite losing today, I think we can be very proud by our performances in the last two weeks. We showed the world that Saudi Arabia football has been making good progress.”
While his exploits proved insufficient on the night, the young Green Falcons’ performances throughout the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 showed signs of a promising future, emerging as the competition’s most lethal strike force with 16 goals. Al Naji, who was tied with compatriot Abdulrahman Al Yami on four goals, though with the better assists record, scored against hosts Bahrain, Korea Republic and the the Islamic Republic of Iran.
With Saudi Arabia's tournament now over, the youngster is now fully focused on performing well in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 next May. “We were unlucky today but we are looking forward to the Korea Republic next year. We believe that we can prove our capabilities and hopefully do our county proud.”
Photo: AFC