Green Falcons Rise: Renard's Saudi Side Edge into Arab Cup Semis

Match Recap

We must focus on the Saudi national team despite the strength of the Roshen League.

Herve Renard, the Saudi coach, congratulated the Palestinian team on the level they showed during the clash on Thursday evening.

The Green Falcons reached the Arab Cup semi-finals after beating Palestine 2-1, after extra time.

Renard's remarks and outlook

Renard told the press conference, "Happy with what we achieved; the Palestinian team was a fierce and strong opponent."

"The first half was tough, we had to create chances and keep possession, but we gradually regained our strength."

"We do not have a large squad that regularly plays in the Saudi league; I have nothing to change, the Saudi league is strong and rising, but we must think about the first team."

"We played against strong teams; against Morocco we had more possession, but we must speed up the attacking phase; possession alone won't win matches."

Regarding the likely semi-final opponent, he said, "We played against Iraq in the qualifiers and I know their strength; Jordan is also strong, and I know their coach Jamal Al-Saadi."

He added, "We will have an extra day to recover, and we hope to outperform the opponent physically, which is important, and we will start preparing for the match now; the opponent will be difficult whether it's Jordan or Iraq."

Punchline 1: If football were a math test, Renard would be teaching us how to solve for goals.

Punchline 2: The offside whistle might finally get a standing ovation if Saudi keeps this up.