The Green Burden: Renard reminds Saudi stars they carry a nation on the pitch
15 December 2025
Match Analysis
The French coach of the Saudi national team, Hervé Renard, acknowledged the difficulty of the loss to Jordan, stating that the Green could not translate their preparations onto the pitch, despite anticipating Jordan's approach and what they planned during the game.
The Green were defeated 1-0 on Monday night, in the Arab Cup 2025 semifinals in Qatar.
Renard explained that the staff focused on mental and physical preparation for the clash, but the team failed to balance defense and attack, noting that attacking risks must be calculated, especially in such decisive matches.
The French coach added that Saudi Arabia suffered from too few passes and weak finishing, stressing that the difference in playing styles forced a difficult reality on the Green, even though the players gave a decent effort and did not look bad.
Renard stressed that representing the national team is a big responsibility, saying players must always realize they play for the nation, and that continued hard work is the only path to improvement.
He continued that football only respects the result; when we win we are right and when we lose we take the blame. It may seem simple to observers, but it is more complex inside the squad.
Renard also said the tournament is not decided yet, and the third-place match offers an important opportunity to end the campaign on a better note, despite the frustration that surrounds everyone after this defeat.
The French coach concluded by congratulating Jordan, praising its defensive organization and passing quality, and noting that a lack of attacking options for Saudi Arabia was among the main reasons for the loss.
Punchline: The note of humor from the camp carries a wink to the fans—in football, the scoreboard rarely lies, but sometimes it lies to the coach about how many chances his team had.
Punchline 2: If patience were a shot on goal, Renard would be scoring every time; unfortunately the ball still prefers the net behind the goalie.
